The King's Companion
by Hinata-Chan33
Summary: Once he saw her, he knew exactly who she was. Memories of the past flew before his eyes; when he found her and took her in, when he trained her to be a thief, when they were inseparable... And now here she was, 3000 years later, a transfer student at Domino High. When she caught his gaze, wide-eyed, he felt a huge weight fall from his chest. She recognized him too.
1. Chapter 1

**Howdy! It certainly has been a long time since I've put something up, hasn't it? Well, I've been busy with school and whatnot, and also I've been improving my writing skills. Other writers will understand; I have hundreds of story ideas and little drabbles EVERYWHERE. I have filled up so much notebook paper, it's crazy. But none of them have gotten too far. But anywho, I figured I should put something up, cause it's been forever.**

 **Anyway, I honestly don't know where this story if going to go. My mind has been filled with nothing but YGO recently, so this story was born from that. I don't know when exactly I'll update this next, but I'll try to make it ASAP. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

"Good morning, class. Today we have a new student, please make her feel welcome." The teacher motioned towards the door, beckoning the new girl. She timidly came into the classroom, brushing her bangs back nervously. She waved nervously to the class, and the teacher frowned. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" He asked. She looked at him nervously, shaking her head. She pointed to her throat, smiling sheepishly. "You're mute?" He asked, though it was more for confirmation than an actual question. She nodded in reply. All the class stared at her in curiosity, and the teacher sighed. "I apologize. I wasn't informed. Class," He turned to the students, "This is Jerah Hanasaki. Please take care of her well." She smiled gratefully at the teacher as she went to sit at an empty seat towards the back, sitting right behind Yugi, who hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her. She was rather beautiful, and timid, like him.

Yugi happily turned around and introduced himself, easily offering her friendship. She smiled bashfully at him, happy to already have a friend. Then the teacher began class, and Yugi turned around to focus on the lesson. But it was rather hard for her to focus, because she could feel a pair of eyes on her. The rest of the students had gotten over her arrival already, but one certain white haired boy couldn't look away. Or rather, the spirit within him couldn't. She glanced over, looking directly at the spirit that had manifested beside the boy, her eyes widening in recognition. She quickly looked away, but not before catching the burning gaze of the yami.

Class time passed by quicker than she thought it would. By the time she thought to think again, the lunch bell was ringing. She blinked before she realized Yugi was speaking to her. She looked up at him apologetically, silently asking him to repeat himself. He smiled softly, "I asked if you want to eat lunch with me and my friends. We play games too, if you'd like to join us." He suggested kindly. She smiled and nodded shyly. Yugi grinned, "Do you play Duel Monsters?" He asked, excitedly. She nodded again, reaching into her backpack and taking out her deck. She wiggled it in the air, proudly displaying her love for the game. Yugi got his own deck out, sitting at his desk in front of hers, facing her. He set out a duel map, "Shall we play?" She nodded, setting her deck in the designated spot and picked up her first hand to play.

"Yo! Yug!" Joey called, after having gotten his lunch. He walked over to Yugi and Jerah, smiling. "Oh, hey new girl. What was your name again?" He asked. She deflated slightly, looking to Yugi.

"Joey, she doesn't speak. Her name is Jerah." Yugi supplied, looking to her and nodding slightly. _It's alright._ She smiled at him gratefully.

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot about dat. The name's Joey Wheeler! Runner up in Duelist Kingdom! Second to Yugi!" Joey shouted proudly. Jerah looked to Yugi, confused. Joey noticed the look on her face. "You mean he didn't tell ya? Yugi here's the King of Games!" He gloated, leaning his arm of Yugi's head. Said armrest was looking very bashful. She smiled, glad to know he was humble.

"Well, it didn't exactly come up in conversation…" Yugi defended nervously. She giggled quietly, her soft voice ringing out. Yugi blushed at the sound of her voice, and Joey pointed at her accusingly.

"You do have a voice! I heard it!" He shouted, drawing the attention of the others in the class. She shook her head, waving her hands in front of her face frantically.

"Hey, Joey, keep quiet! Geez, you know some mute people can still make some sounds. She laughed, that doesn't mean she can talk." Yugi defended her without hesitation. Joey seemed to dumbfoundedly let that sink in. The other students in the room decided to ignore the commotion, going back to their activities. Jerah was highly embarrassed, and she was hiding her face. Yugi and Joey looked at her, Yugi reached over to her and tapped her arm, "It's okay. You don't have to hide anymore." He said softly, as she peeked at him through her fingers. Tea appeared from nowhere, smacking Joey upside the head.

"Come on, Joey! You just had to go and scare her, didn't you? Don't you have any manners?" She chewed him out. Joey rubbed his sore head as Tea looked to Jerah. "Don't mind him, he has a habit of speaking before he thinks. My name is Tea Gardner. It's nice to meet you." She held out her hand towards Jerah, who had finally come out of hiding. She timidly shook Tea's hand, sniffling a little.

"Now, shall we duel?" Yugi asked, now that she had settled. She nodded, picking up her cards again. She smiled a little, she had a good hand. Yugi kindly let her go first, and the others watched as she drew a card and placed down a couple. She placed a monster card face down in defense mode, and one spell and one trap. Yugi raised an eyebrow, smiling in excitement. She was smart, that much he could tell. He set down one trap and summoned Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts. Yugi decided he was going to call her bluff and attack her face down monster. She smirked as her Blast Sphere was revealed and automatically equipped to Gazelle. She playfully wagged her finger at Yugi, who chuckled nervously in defeat. "Good play. I end my turn." He said, watching as she drew a card. To start off, her Blast Sphere destroyed his Gazelle automatically. Then, she placed X-Saber Gallahad and Apprentice Magician. She attacked with her Apprentice, first, activating Yugi's Magic Cylinder. She took 400 damage, but that was her plan. Now that Yugi was defenseless, she attacked with Gallahad, and Yugi took 1800 damage. Joey shook Yugi, appalled that he was losing.

"Come on, Yug! You're not gonna let her win, are ya? Why are you going easy?" Yugi chuckled nervously.

"I'm not, I just got a bad hand. And she seems very skilled." She smiled at the compliment and ended her turn, taking out her bento and starting to eat while Yugi took his turn. They continued the game until ultimately, Yugi won, but not without a challenge. He was actually tired after the game ended, getting out his own bento and beginning to eat instead of dueling anyone else. "That was a good game, Jerah. You had me in a corner for a while." She nodded, making a face. It wasn't hard to read.

 _Yeah, but you made one hell of a comeback._ She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." He said, chuckling. She giggled mutely, before she noticed the spirit standing behind Yugi. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw him. His eyes met hers, and he was understandably shocked that she could see him. And more than that, she seemed to recognize him. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by either Yugi. "You can see him?" She nodded slowly at Yugi's question, still staring at Yami Yugi. _"Do you know who I am?"_ Yami asked her, and she flinched at hearing him. Before she could answer, the bell rang for class to start. She took that as a chance to escape the conversation as she made it a point to put her deck away as everyone settled in their seats. Yugi reluctantly turned around in his seat and face the front of the class room. He'd have to ask her about it later. Yami, disappointed, returned to the puzzle.

She spaced out for the rest of her classes, thinking about the two spirits she saw. She knew about the Millennium Items, and it was obvious that Yugi had the Puzzle. So she assumed that The white haired kid had one too. She hadn't met him yet, besides just seeing him on the other side of the classroom. She still felt the eyes of the spirit on her. Apparently he didn't know that staring was rude. Or that it made her uncomfortable.

Soon enough, the school day was over. She stood as the bell rang, taking a deep breath as she grabbed her bag. She needed to head right home, she couldn't be late in taking her medicine, and she (of course) forgot to bring a dose with her. Cause she's so smart. She started leaving the classroom, right after the crowd of students when she heard Yugi call out to her. "Wait!" He ran up to her, "Want to walk home together? I live at a game shop, so you could check it out! There's lots of Duel packs you could look at…" He said, rushing to say everything. He needed the chance to ask her about what had happened earlier. She smiled sadly, shaking her head.

"I can't…" She whispered, since there was no way to convey her next statement in words, and she figured that Yugi wouldn't know fluent sign language. "I have to hurry home and take my medicine…" She said, holding her throat as though it was painful to even whisper. Yugi looked at her in shock, watching as she left before he could think of a reply.

"She can speak…"

She sighed as she reached her locker. She opened it and grabbed her umbrella. It hadn't rained, like the forecast said it would. She was glad for that. She put her umbrella in her bag and closed her locker. Then a hand slammed the locker right beside her head. She jumped and turned around, instantly backing up. In front of her was someone she hadn't met yet, but she had seen his face. He sat at the front of class.

"You're mute huh? I don't believe it." He said lowly, moving closer to her. She looked terrified, looking for some way to escape. "I want to hear that pretty little voice. Come on, say something!" He insisted, determined to prove that she wasn't mute. He grabbed her arm, and she flinched, but still no sound escaped her throat. The boy still looked determined, but took a second to reconsider his methods. His fingers tugged at a lock of her deep violet hair, before they moved to take hold of her chin. "Perhaps there's another way to get you to talk. You have such smooth brown skin…" He murmured as she shook in fear. All of a sudden, he was pulled back and punched in the face. "Who the hell-". Another jab in the face shut him up.

"If you ever dare to touch her again, I'll rip your hands off!" A voice shouted at the guy as he scrambled away. She knew this voice; it rang in the back of her mind. She slid down the locker till she was sitting on the floor in shock. Tears had filled her eyes, and she felt as though she was on the verge of an attack. _I need my medication…_ She thought, panicky. A hand in front of her face broke her from her thoughts. She looked at the hand, then up at the face it belonged to. Her eyes widened. _Kura…_

He had a blank look on his face as he waited for her to respond in some way. He jerked his hand once, to emphasize it. "Take it." She barely hesitated, taking his hand and pulling herself up. This happening was so familiar, she was suddenly feeling mild. "May I walk you home?" He offered quietly, his voice as deep and smooth as she remembered. She nodded, blushing softly as she looked down and brushed her bangs back. He picked her bag up off the floor and handed it to her, and she took it. They walked out of the building, silently walking towards her house. After a few minutes, Bakura realized he should probably introduce himself, since she wouldn't remember. "I'm, I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself, I'm- ". She gently touched his arm.

"I know who you are, Kura." She whispered, her cheeks tinted pink. He was stunned for a moment, before his eyes softened.

"So you did recognize me…" He said, remembering how she looked at him that morning. She nodded slowly.

"I have my memories. Of the past. Of us." She whispered, her voice slightly scratchy. He frowned, patting her head.

"Don't talk anymore. You'll hurt yourself. This conversation can wait until we get to your house." He said softly. She smiled a little. He was still so gentle towards her, just as he was in the past. Of course now, he was a little different. He shared the same skin tone as his host, and he did seem a bit different in his mannerisms. But she didn't mind, so long as he still cared about her.

It wasn't long before they reached her house. It was only a few blocks past the Kame Game shop. She opened the door and let him into the house. "Tea." She said shortly, beckoning him in. He stepped in and removed his shoes as she shut the door behind him. He walked around, exploring her little abode as she removed her shoes and went to the kitchen to make tea. It was a 1 story house, with several rooms. The front room, living room, and kitchen were immediately accessible from the front door. At the end of the front room, he found a hallway. He followed it, and all the doors were open except for what he assumed to be closets of some kind. He found her room, the bathroom, and a study. After the quick self-tour, he wandered back to the kitchen and leaned against the counter, watching as she prepared tea.

"You live alone?" He inquired. She nodded, figuring that he was looking at her. Which was correct. "Hm." He responded flatly, more to himself rather than to her. "Do you have any family?" She looked back at him, unsure how to answer.

"Yes and no." She whispered. He raised an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?"

"Biologically, I have no one. But I have adoptive parents." She said. Then she remembered that she had to take her medication. She went to the cabinet as the kettle sat on the stove. She got out the little brown bottle and took out two pills, and swallowed them easily. Bakura watched her, intrigued. He walked over to her and plucked the bottle out of her hands. She pouted, trying to take the bottle back. He was taller than her, so he was able to hold it out of her reach and read the label.

"Anxiety?" He questioned, both his eyebrows raised at her as she finally managed to snatch the bottle back. "You never had medication for that."

"I did. Elixir." She corrected him. Then he rolled his eyes.

"But you never saw a healer."

"Made it myself." She quipped, daring him to insist whatever he was insisting.

"How?"

"Trial and error."

"Ah. Must have been a lot of error." He teased, smirking. She gasped, playfully smacking his arm.

"Rude!" She giggled, folding her arms over her chest. She flinched as the kettle began to whistle. Bakura chuckled as he went to shut the stove off.

"You flinch a lot." He pointed out softly, as she took the kettle from him and poured the hot water into two cups.

"Anxiety."

"I suppose that causes a lot of inconvenience for you, doesn't it?" He asked, gazing at her as he leaned back against the counter. She simply nodded as she put the kettle on the tray she kept on the counter, bringing the tray to the living room, so they could sit at the kotatsu. She set the tray on the table top, making herself comfortable as Bakura trailed in behind her, sitting adjacent to her. He claimed one of the cups and added some sugar, as she did the same. Now that she had her medicine, her tea, and a familiar feeling in her chest, it wasn't so uncomfortable to speak. She was mute mostly by choice, and partly by disability. Her anxiety and an accident she had when she was a child made it difficult for her to speak, so she chose not to most of the time. But if she was feeling relaxed, and was with someone she was comfortable with, she was willing to make small conversation. She took a small sip of her tea, instantly regretting it.

"Ouch!" She hissed, setting the glass down and placing her hand over her mouth.

"You should be more careful." Bakura said, frowning at her carelessness. She pouted, her fingers still gracing her lips in response to the pain on her tongue.

"Shush." She retorted, watching him shake his head with a smirk on his face.

"Whatever." He said softly, shamelessly glancing at her from time to time as she waited for her tea to cool. One of those times, she caught him looking, and he wasn't nearly bashful enough to look away. Instead, he held her gaze. His face looked relatively blank, but she knew that he was staring in reminiscence. She blushed lightly, shyly breaking away from his stare. She shivered at the sound of his deep chuckle.

"You were shy then, too. Before I trained you to be a thief." He remembered aloud, watching as she nodded. She remembered too.

That's what was most intriguing to him. That she remembered her past in ancient Egypt, yet she wasn't a spirit like him. She wasn't sealed away in an item. She was just here. Then he looked at his hand. When he had grabbed her hand back at school, it seemed to be cold… Colder than it should be. But that may be normal for her in this life. The weather had been cooling off recently, but… He had to know how she had come to be this way, memories and all.

"How'd you get your memories?" He asked, a slight, unintentional edge to his voice. She flinched slightly, her eyes shifting nervously.

"I've always had them." It wasn't a lie. But he could tell, it wasn't the truth either. Not the whole truth. He had always been able to tell when she was holding back, and now it wasn't any different.

"Perhaps. But the chances are slim that you were magically born into a perfect incarnation of yourself with all of your memories. The gods are rarely that generous." She shrugged, her eyes flicking to him before she took a sip of her tea.

"Maybe this was one of those rare times." She remarked, setting her glass down as she ran her thumb along the rim.

"I doubt that. See, you're too easy to read. First, your eyes shift." He said, "Then you take a deep breath to collect your thoughts. You find a loophole in my words, as a means of escape. Then you find something to do with your hands, in this case, you move your thumb along the edge of your teacup. And you keep your eyes low. You're hiding something."

She was silent, staring at him with wide eyes. Then she deflated slightly, sighing in defeat. "You know me too well. Damn you."

"So?" He beckoned, awaiting the information she was so dearly holding back. She sighed once again, brushing her bangs back.

"I may or may not have made a deal with the gods." She mumbled, looking away innocently. Bakura's eyes widened.

"What?!" He was floored! "What was the deal?!"

"Now that part, I really can't tell you. Otherwise, they can choose not to hold up their end." Bakura was silent after that, knowing that what she said was certainly true. If she promised something to the gods, then she'd have to do it by her own strength. He sighed, his fists resting on the table. She smiled sadly, placing her hand on his. "But don't worry about me, okay? I put myself in this situation, because I wanted to be with you again. I missed you so much. All this time I'd been wandering in between life and death. Now I can live again, and I can be near you. That's all I want." She explained softly, smiling at him.

He looked up at her face, taking her hand in his own. "Okay." He said shortly, and she smiled.

* * *

The young boy ducked into an alley, having just stolen his meal for the day. He had managed to go unnoticed, not getting nearly caught for the fun of the chase, like he usually did. He took a bite of the bread, not minding that it was slightly stale. At least it wasn't as hard as a rock. The sound of a thud caught his attention, and he turned sharply, facing the depths of the alley-way. His guard dropped slightly when he saw a girl slumped on the ground. He watched as a man tossed a couple coins her way and her tired hands groped the ground for the measly amount. The man passed Bakura as he left the alley, grumbling something about 'make sure to rough her up if you want a good show'. The young girl looked towards Bakura as the man left the alley. Bakura's eyes narrowed, glinting dangerously as he noticed one important detail.

He hardly hesitated grabbing the man, punching his jaw as hard as he could. "What the hell!" The man shouted before Bakura punched him again.

"Don't ever come near her again." His voice growled venomously. The man nodded frightfully as he scrambled away. He turned to the girl, who was shocked. She quickly looked down, appearing to look for any more coins that she may have missed. Bakura stepped closer to her, halting the moment she flinched and fumbled back, staring up at him fearfully. She was so young. Younger than him by a few harvests, at least, still practically a child. Torn, dirty cloths hung from her tiny frame, hardly even worthy of being called garments. She was so thin, it was clear she had scarcely eaten for a long time, getting whatever scraps she could manage, until she was just barely old enough to seduce men for money. He tore off the piece of bread he had bitten and held the rest out to her.

She looked up at him, then to the bread. Her gaze was hungry, longing for any form of nourishment. Her eyes shifted back up to his face, as if asking permission to accept his offer. He nodded, pointing at her with the bread. "Take it." He asserted. He blinked, and the bread was in her hands, disappearing fast as she shamelessly wolfed it down. The moment she ate the final bite, she was bowing at his feet in thanks. He knelt down before her, lifting her head and making her sit up tall. He removed his cloak and placed it over her, covering her tiny body much better than the shabby clothes she wore. "Will you come with me? I can provide you food, shelter, clothes, and protection. You won't have to worry about survival any longer." He offered, holding his hand out to her. She looked to his hand, then to his eyes in wonder. She took his hand, the thought of a new beginning shining in her mind.

He led her through the alleys, to his hideout. He helped her bathe, a frown twisting his features as he noticed all her scars, and even discovered recent wounds on her back. They looked far too painful to be healing properly. He told himself he'd have to get ahold of some ointment for her. For now, he cleaned her up as best as he could, and gave her a soft linen robe to wear until he could get her some better clothes. He smiled as she looked down at her new outfit, which fit her nicely compared to the pieces she had before. She yawned, and he led her to a bed, helping her crawl in and pulling the sheet over her. He stayed beside her until she fell asleep. Then he decided to go out and use her money to buy her something. Maybe he'll get her some grapes. Surely she'd like those.

He sighed. He wondered how a girl so small ended up on the streets, selling her body to earn a meager half a meal's worth.

* * *

 **And, that's all I've got! Please Review and tell me what you think! And also, just a PSA here, if y'all like this, then you should go to my profile! I've got a poll where you, the readers, can vote on what story I should do next after I get this one rolling and completed. When you guys vote, I know what story y'all wanna read next, and I can work on it and get a bunch done before I publish it here!**

 **Anyway, I'm going to do my best to continue and finish this story. Like I said, I don't really know where this is gonna go. School starts in a couple weeks for me, so I'll do what I can. This is my senior year in highschool though, so I'm not expecting it to be too busy. Thank you again for reading and please review! And go vote on my poll!**

 **~Hinata-chan, signing out!~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here we are with the second chapter! I've decided I'm going to try and stick to an every Tuesday type of deal. So y'all can expect a new chapter every week, so long as life doesn't get in the way. And I'm glad y'all decided to stick around. I've already gotten a few favorites and follows, so thank you! Well, without further ado, here is the chapter.**

* * *

Bakura had returned to his host's house later in the evening, having spent the whole afternoon with Jerah. He was glad, that she was almost identical to how she was in the past. It was much easier for him to settle with the atmosphere with her being so familiar.

He looked at himself in the mirror. He narrowed his eyes, hardly able to believe how he had acted that day. He was so… nice. He had teased, cared, and casually spoke to someone. He had already gotten used to this life, being violent and relentless, even going as far as abusing his own host. But there was something about her that made him feel relaxed. Perhaps it was that he had known her in the past. He had formed that bond, back when he was still young, when he was still able to form bonds like that. He sighed and scratched the back of his head, heading right for sleep. He didn't want to be left with his thoughts any longer.

He switched over, letting Ryou take his place. Ryou, then, looked around in confusion once he was in control. How did he get home? And it was already dark out… Had Yami really been in control for that long? The last thing Ryou remembered was seeing that new girl in school, looking terrified as that guy held a lock of her hair. Then, he vaguely remembered Yami taking over and everything after that is blank.

He may not have been able to see what happened, but he could feel what Yami felt while he was in control. It was the first time he had ever felt such calm emotions coming from his Yami. It was strange. But it definitely had something to do with that girl. Ryou decided he would have to talk to her. He wanted to know what made Yami feel so at peace.

* * *

Jerah sighed in content as she closed the curtains to her living room. Just twenty minutes before, Bakura was having tea with her. It almost felt as if they were back in Ancient Egypt, eating a meal at his hideout, as if nothing had changed. Then evening came, and she needed to finish her homework and head to sleep. She felt sad watching him leave her home, but reminded herself that it wasn't for forever. She would only have to wait until tomorrow. She had impulsively given him a hug before he left, blushing brightly as she realized what she did. Just as she was going to let go, he had returned the favor, hugging her tightly for a split second before quickly leaving and shutting the front door behind him. She stared at the door blankly, her face turning into a tomato as her brain calculated what happened.

She blushed at the memory, going to stand in front of the door. She double-checked that it was locked, and leaned against it. She closed her eyes, remembering the feeling of his arms around her protectively. It felt just as it did all those years ago, when they were thieves. He would hold her close then too, but that was before they had spent 3000 years apart.

Jerah sighed, pushing herself off the door. She wandered down the hall, into the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror, frowning at her tired reflection. Her dark skin was such a contrast to Bakura's host's skin. Back in Egypt, they had matching tones. They even had a few similar scars, back from their thieving days. She still had her scars, but it was clear he no longer had his. Not with the borrowed body he was using.

She absentmindedly undressed and again, gazed at herself in the mirror. She traced the scar that connected her collarbones, remembering vividly how she got it. She shook her head, ridding herself of those memories. She started the water and stepped into the shower. Jerah's muscles relaxed under the cold stream.

By the time she broke away from her thoughts, she was already out of the shower, squeaky clean with a towel wrapped around herself. She blinked, looking around herself in confusion. Did I already finish showering? I don't remember even washing my hair… She thought to herself, but by touching the strands, she could feel how the conditioner made her long violet hair feel slick. Well, apparently I did… She sighed, going into her room and putting on some shorts and a tank top. She crawled into bed, yawning as she lay her head on the pillow. She gingerly placed her fingers on the scar across her collarbones as she fell asleep.

* * *

"Alright, stay low. I've been training you for this, and now the time has come. Are you ready?" Bakura's voice was hushed and gruff as he held Jerah's shoulder tightly. He looked deep in her eyes, assuring himself that she was ready for this. Her first thievery.

She gave him a stiff nod. It was clear she was a bit nervous, but felt confident enough to go for the gold (literally). She had done small things as training for this, like stealing from the market place and pick pocketing. She had even sneaked into someone's house in the middle of the night and taken some fancy ring.

And now was the test to make her an official professional thief, worthy to stand beside Bakura. She was nervous, but even more than that, she was excited. All the sparring, small missions, and pep talks were leading up to this.

"I'm ready." She gave him a small smirk. He grinned and ruffled her hair. Then he was silent for a moment, his face straightening out.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you how dangerous this is going to be…" He said, his eyes narrowing. She took a deep, quiet breath, and shook her head.

"You don't. I know. I could very well die if this doesn't go right… Or be forced into slavery… Or into a harem… Or-"

"Okay! I get it! You understand the consequences of fucking up, now let's go!" He said, pulling her to the wall, and leading her down and around to the side of the large expanse of land.

The property was lovely, and certainly the ownings of a wealthy man. Bakura had told her that this man was terrible. He had conned so many poor people of their earnings, had taken so much even from Kura's home of Kul Elna before it was destroyed.

Fortunately for them, the stones of the wall still had fresh edges, so they'd have an easier time climbing them. She climbed up ahead of him, since this was for her training after all. She slipped, and cut her arm on a sharp corner. A soft hiss from above alerted him to what happened. He was about to ask if she was okay, when she beat him to it. "Just a scratch." He sighed, frowning when a drop of blood fell onto his shoulder.

"Hey-"

"It's just. A scratch." She hissed, compelling him to just drop it for now. It's not like either of them were in the position to wrap up the wound anyway, they were both currently hanging on a wall. With that, she continued climbing until she made it to the top, waiting only a moment before Bakura was beside her. Before even moving on, he grabbed her arm. The cut started on the side of her palm, just below her pinky, and went down to her mid-forearm. She sighed, giving up and letting him take care of it. To do so, he tore the bottom of his cloak and wrapped it around her hand and arm snugly, so it wouldn't fall off. He tucked the end of the strip and let go of her arm.

"Let's keep moving." He mumbled, walking ahead of her on top of the wall. She quietly followed him, letting him lead the way. He was the one who scouted the land beforehand anyway. She followed after him closely, taking in their surroundings just in case they needed an impromptu hiding place or escape route.

After travelling along the wall for a while, they finally made it to the building itself, which was definitely an amount of cubits* she couldn't count to. Gazing down from the dark cover of night, they observed the guards watching the threshold of the courtyard, which Bakura and Jerah had just avoided entirely. Bakura decided that for the sake of Jerah, this escapade would be a quiet event, unlike his usual 'hey everybody, I'm here to steal your shit' style. So, he began to scale the wall, heading towards a window. She followed, waiting for him to crawl through so she could do the same. Once they were both inside the building, the expedition began. They both began exploring the halls and finding treasures, jewelry and money.

It was very quiet, and Jerah could feel the anxiety and adrenaline running through her. She passed a window from which the moonlight poured through and cast her shadow across the width of the hall. She walked quietly, passing a doorway and letting her eyes occasionally wander from Bakura's form some ways ahead of her. Then she heard a light footstep behind her and turned around. In a split second, a hand was over her mouth, back slammed against the wall, and a blade to her chest.

"Who are you?" A gravelly voice grunted, as Jerah narrowed her eyes. She couldn't see the man's face, but she guessed that this was the owner of all the land. She couldn't answer, because he had his hand over her mouth. She bit his hand, and he pulled it away, instead taking ahold of her throat. She grabbed at his wrist, trying to free herself. The man dug the blade into her skin, and she let out a small groan of pain. "Again, who are you?"

"Your enemy." Bakura said from behind him. The man turned around quickly, taking Jerah with him and using her as a human shield. He still had his knife against her chest, the edge of the blade digging into her skin. The man's arm had her in a chokehold as they both looked at Bakura.

Bakura narrowed his eyes, which gleamed venomously in the moonlight. "Why are you here?" The man asked, the blade moving across Jerah's skin slightly, acting as a warning to Bakura.

"I am the voices of all the people you've wronged. I am the embodiment of your sins." Bakura growled, drawing his blade.

"Don't come any closer! I'll kill her!" The man threatened, dragging the blade a little further across her chest.

"So what?" Jerah choked, struggling to breath. "I am nothing." Then she pulled the blade across her chest, blood pouring out from it as the man dropped her in shock. She fell to the ground, and Bakura took that chance to kill the man with a stab to the heart. He pulled out his blade with a sickening slush. In that moment, Bakura quickly knelt beside Jerah, trying to get her to respond. She grunted, feeling dizzy from losing blood.

"Jerah, stay with me…" He said softly, picking her up.

"I'm…Okay…" She coughed, her breathing ragged. Losing all that blood depleted the oxygen in her system. She started to lose consciousness again, and he shook her a bit, desperately calling to her.

She awoke with a start, taking in deep, rough breaths. Damn… She sighed, sitting up and running her fingers through her hair as she calmed down. She looked around, getting ahold of her surroundings. It was only a memory… She took a deep breath and threw a glance at the clock. Ugh. 3:42…

She lay back down and closed her eyes, in a bogus attempt to fall asleep. She lay on her right side for a while. Then rolled over to her left side. Then lay on her back. Time seemed to drag on for hours, like it was all slowed down. The memory replayed in her head over and over.

Her fingers grazed over the old scar across her chest, that connected her collarbones. The jagged edge on the right side contrasted the smooth cut on the left. She sighed. She stole another glance at the clock. Only 3 minutes had passed. It felt like 3 hours. She frowned, accepting the fact that sleep would not come to her again. Not with her thoughts overwhelming her.

So, she threw on some clothes and headed outside. She figured now was a good a time as any to wander around Domino. She could figure out where everything is, without having to deal with people. She walked out of her house, shoving her keys in her back pocket.

She paused on the front porch to observe to solemnity of the city. There was a light fog hanging just above the ground, dew drops on the posts outlining her porch. Taking a deep breath, Jerah started her exploration of Domino. Her feet took her down the sidewalks of the dim roads. It seemed almost forsaken this early in the morning, except for the well-kept buildings and the occasional car driving by heading for an early workday. She took every turn she came across, until she was entirely lost.

This part of town seemed a bit more dismal than the rest. Jerah stood still, standing in the middle of a sidewalk square, gazing at her surroundings. If she turned around and walked away, maybe she'd be fine. Suddenly, she felt really anxious. Maybe an early morning walk wasn't such a good idea. The teen decided that she would just find her way back home. She heard someone call out "Hey!" Behind her. Sounded like a man. She didn't even look, she just booked it as fast as she could out of there. She doesn't remember how, but she wound up in front of Kame Game Shop.

Didn't Yugi say he lives here? Jerah thought to herself. Well, at least she knew her way home from here. She turned away from the store, planning to walk back home when a disgruntled Yugi opened the door and called her name. She turned around yet again, facing her classmate. She stared for a moment before waving sheepishly. She pointed behind her, and took a couple steps back.

"Wait! Can I ask you something?" Yugi said hurriedly, wanting to keep her around long enough to get some answers. She paused, then deflated a bit and nodded, folding her arms over her stomach. She was nervous. Yugi smiled in relief when she nodded, despite looking uncomfortable. It was a display of trust. "Thank you. Are you really mute?" She froze at this question. This would take explaining, and she was not comfortable, nor did she take her medication. She ran her hand down her face, a show of frustration. She curled her right hand and flattened her left, making motions similar to writing. Yugi clearly got the hint, because he invited her in and, upon her entering the abode, disappeared to get a pen and paper.

He soon returned, and handed her the requested items. She took them and began writing. A couple seconds passed, and she held the paper up. His lips moved with each word on the paper.

"Most of the time…What does that mean?" He asked. She huffed in irritation, writing again. You said one question. "I know, but please?" She looked at him as he pleaded, his eyes shut tight and his hands folded. She bit her lip, sighing through her nose. Pen met paper once again. After a minute of scratching things out, rewriting them, and changing things, she finally held up the paper.

"I have to take my medication and drink my special tea in order to speak. If I try to in any other circumstances, it's very painful." Yugi read, sympathy washing over his face as he looked up at her. "So when you spoke to me yesterday…" She nodded. It hurt. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize… How do you communicate then? Besides pen and paper…" He asked, genuinely curious. She smiled a little. She did a little jazz hands motion. "Sign language?" He clarified, proud he guessed right when she confirmed with a nod.

She smiled, and looked around the room. Her eyes found a clock, and she jumped in shock. She quickly wrote on the paper, threw it at him and left the shop in a flash. Yugi was flustered for a moment, about to call out to her when his eyes caught the word on the paper. School! Yugi chuckled softly before shaking his head. Then his eyes widened, gaze shooting towards the clock.

"Crap!" With grumbled panic, Yugi rushed to his room to prepare for the school day.

* * *

 **Ta-da! Please leave a review if you like it or have any comments/ questions. and to clarify:**

 ***Cubits: Cubits are an ancient form of measurement used in Egypt, Jersalem, and Bible times in general (Noah's Ark was built using cubits). One cubit is the length from your elbow to your fingertip.**

 **Anyway. If you like to roleplay, or like Yu-Gi-Oh stuff in general, you can check out my tumblr! You can find me at themuteegyptian. tumblr. com**

 **And you delete the spaces when you put it in the search bar.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **~Hinata-Chan33, Signing Out!~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here's the third chapter! I'm sorry it's a bit shorter today. I've had nearly no time this whole week except for yesterday, and I spent last evening sleeping a migraine away. So, this is entirely unedited, and I left it on a cliff hanger because I can. Anyway, R &R!**

 **And I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, just my oc and the bits of the plot I changed.**

* * *

Despite feeling as though she'd be late, Jerah arrived at school a few minutes before the bell. The moment sat in her seat, Yugi entered the classroom, all out of breath. Jerah was mildly surprised that she made it before he did, since he lived closer. But, considering how frazzled Yugi appeared, she assumed he took longer to get ready than she did. The bell rang, and the teacher walked into the classroom as everyone settled in their seats.

The lesson began, and Jerah spaced out throughout the entire thing. She looked towards the board, but her mind was on the memory she had relived the night before. She was so deep in thought as her fingers rested on her clothes, just over her old scar, that she didn't even feel that Bakura was watching her from the other side of the classroom.

The bell rang, and Jerah looked up in confusion. What time was it? What period was it? Was the day over? She looked around at her classmates, looking for a familiar face. The first one she found was Yugi's. He looked at her innocently, smiling amusedly at her confused look.

"What are you sitting around for? It's lunch time." Yugi chuckled, taking out his own lunch. Jerah flushed in embarrassment, retrieving her lunch and beginning to eat in silence. She seemed to want to be left to her own thoughts, so Yugi did so. He occupied himself by dueling with Joey, since the blond wanted to test his skill (He claimed to have improved).

While she sat by herself, Ryou decided to go and speak to her. He sat in the desk to the left of hers, facing her. Her eyes gazed into the oblivion of her bento, so much so that she didn't notice the new presence near her.

"Hanasaki-san." Ryou called to her, calmly and quietly. He didn't want to startle her, since her mind was clearly elsewhere. The reaction was delayed, Jerah finally flinched after a few seconds had passed. The Egyptian looked around, her eyes resting on Ryou, who looked expectant. "Welcome back to earth." He said, in a good-natured way. She flushed, her fingers fiddling with the tip of her ponytail. Ryou chuckled softly, scratching the back of his head. "So, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday…" He said quietly.

Jerah looked to him, then around to see if anyone had heard. Then her eyes returned to the boy in front of her.

She got a pen and a small paper pad. "Later." She wrote, showing him. He read it quickly, glad that she had complied so quickly. Perhaps she trusted him more, because he held the spirit that she had some strong connection with. He nodded in reply, watching as she began to eat again.

"After school?" Ryou asked, resting his chin in his hand. She nodded, her eyes flicking over to him form before she returned her focus to the last few bites of her lunch. After a minute, the bell rang and everyone returned to their seats. And the rest of the boring classes continued on, with or without the attention of the students.

* * *

Jerah stood at her shoe locker, her mind lost in thought as her hand rested on her outdoor shoes. She sighed and switched out her shoes, putting her indoor ones into the shoe locker. Shutting the small metal door, she turned around and found Yugi standing about a foot away. She flinched a bit, the small boy startling her. He took notice of this and apologized frantically, before regaining his composure. Without any warning, Yami Yugi took over, and Jerah watched in mild shock.

"Hello." He greeted quietly, hoping to ease her. She seemed tense, and he didn't want to set her off. She stared for a moment before waving sheepishly. "May I ask you something?" He asked. He watched with amusement as she sighed dramatically.

Even with being a little exasperated with everyone needing to ask her things, she nodded. She was too nice.

"Before… You seemed to recognize me. Do you know who I am? Do you know my name?" Jerah took a deep breath, getting out a notepad and writing on it.

" _I do not remember your name. We had never officially met_." She showed him the paper, watching as his face became more confused.

"Remember? Had? Wait…" Realization washed over his face as she once again began to write.

" _Yep. I was alive in Ancient Egypt, just like you. You were a great Pharaoh. Anyway, I don't really know much about your past, personally. I could get you in touch with someone who could help you, though._ "

Upon reading this, Yami's eyes widened. "Who?"

" _Ishizu Ishtar. Tomorrow she'll be at the Egyptian Exhibit at the Domino Museum. Now if you don't mind, I have to meet with someone myself._ " She tore the paper out of the notepad and held it against his chest. He took the paper just as she let go and walked away. In the seconds it took him to read it, she was gone.

* * *

The minute she walked outside the school, Ryou found her.

"Hello!" Ryou waved to catch her attention before she walked past him. She paused and smiled, waving back at him calmly. "So, I wanted to ask you about yesterday…" Ryou reiterated, glancing over at her as she nodded casually. She motioned for him to follow her as she began to walk towards her house. He watched her for a moment before following.

"So, you really are mute…" He mumbled, though she heard him. She nodded calmly, pretty used to people waiting until it was beyond obvious to realize she really was mute. At least most of the time. She took a small notepad and a pen out of her bag and began to write.

" _Technically, I could speak whenever I wanted to. But it's very painful. So, I'm mute._ " She displayed to him her explanation, and he nodded in understanding.

" I see. Is there a way to take away the pain?" Ryou was rather curious. She seemed slightly guarded, yet she was social so long as someone else started the conversation. She nodded again. Pen met paper.

" _Yes, I drink special medicated tea. It helps to numb and soothe my throat, so I can speak without pain or damage._ " She showed him the paper, and he again, nodded. He looked ahead as they both turned a corner and headed down a long, dead-end road.

They stayed silent for a bit, and by the time he dared to break the silence, they were standing in front of her house. She walked up to the door and dug around her bag for her keys.

"This place looks nice." He commented kindly, looking at the humble house. It was a one story, perfect for a small family, or one person. His eyes found Jerah again, and she was gazing at him expectantly. The door was open, and she was beckoning him into her home. He smiled and walked in before her, taking off his shoes as she closed the door and took off her own. He stood at the beginning of the small corridor. It was a nice little place, he decided. There wasn't much décor around, he assumed because she had only recently moved in.

Jerah tapped his shoulder, and held up a piece of paper. " _Tea?_ " He smiled and nodded, and she pointed to the small lounge room on the opposite end of the connected rooms. He gathered what she meant and went to sit at the little kotatsu and made himself comfortable as he waited for her to join him.

After a moment of sitting by himself, Jerah walked into the room to sit across from Ryou while the water was set to boil in the kettle. She wrote on her notepad and showed it to the brown-eyed boy. " _It'll be a few minutes until it's ready._ "

"That's quite alright. You'd probably want to wait until then for the questions, I suppose…" He presumed, and did so correctly. She confirmed his words with a short nod of her head. She didn't like to write complicated things. She preferred not to speak of complicated things either, but sometimes it can't be avoided.

She always disliked conversations such as this, where she had to say more than she deemed necessary. But, of course, people who do not know all the details simply aren't satisfied with her curt replies.

"Anyway, how do you like it in Domino? I assume you moved here recently…" Ryou said, becoming a little less confident in his assumption as words continued falling out of his mouth. Relief lifted his anxieties as she smiled and wrote on her notepad.

" _I like it so far. I moved here from Egypt._ " Ryou's eyes lit up.

"Really? That's where I got my Millennium Ring." He said excitedly as he took the said pendant out of his shirt and showed her. She looked at it in recognition, smiling.

" _Bakura had that back in Ancient Egypt. That's why he is now bound to you. Your soul was the one he could live with in one body. I'm sure if he tried to live in another body, the soul already within would reject him and kick him out, or simply drain him._ " He contemplated the information as he read it, glad to have at least a little understanding as to why he couldn't part from the item. It had chosen him because he was compatible? That made sense.

"How-" Then, he was interrupted by the whistling of the kettle in the kitchen. Jerah quickly got up and disappeared for a minute. When she returned, there were a couple different kinds of tea he could choose from, cream, and sugar alongside the kettle and two teacups. They both gave themselves some silence so they could make their tea. Jerah added some packet of powder to her tea. Ryou assumed that was the medicine.

Ryou kept his question to himself for a few minutes, until the silence between them was broken by Jerah.

"So, what would you like to know?" She asked quietly. Ryou couldn't help a small blush, noticing that her voice was sweet.

"Uh, well, I was wondering how you know the spirit of the Ring? You called him Bakura..." Ryou trailed off, looking down at the Ring.

"I was a fellow thief, back in Ancient Egypt. He took care of me." She said softly, smiling at the memories she had of him.

"He's never taken over for that long without hurting me in some way… But yesterday, I could feel that he was at peace… He was calm. It was strange." Jerah watched Ryou speak, nodding in understanding.

"He is usually hostile, but he was never that way with me. You see, when he found me, I was only a child… I was an orphan, living on the streets. He sees himself in me. He took me in, trained me to be a thief… And we were even lovers, if you can believe it." She said calmly. She had a slight blush on her cheeks; she hadn't actually meant to say that last part, it just happened.

"I… I didn't think he was capable of love." Ryou said honestly. Jerah nodded.

"It seems that his time in the Ring has distorted his soul. The shadows can be very overwhelming." She took a sip of her tea calmly. "He was definitely angry back then too, but he was more comfortable with other emotions as well. He was willing to open himself to me. Now he seems more guarded. Looks like I'll have some work to do, don't you agree?" She smiled, her eyes flicking to Ryou. The said boy nodded. Then another question came up.

"Just how much do you know about the Millennium Items?" He asked. He was more curious than anything.

"Their origin, how they were made, and whatnot." Jerah shrugged, "Just the basic background." She was being rather nonchalant about the topic. Ryou wondered if there was something deeper.

"There's something else isn't there?" He asked softly. Jerah inhaled sharply, before letting out all of her breath.

"Well… It's just the matter of how his soul was bound into the Ring… The Pharaoh had sealed his own soul into the Millennium Puzzle to seal Bakura in the Ring. He used his name to finalize the seal."

"Were you there when all that happened?" Ryou asked, curious and somewhat sad. Did she have to watch Bakura be sealed away?

"Well, yes and no. I wasn't there physically… By the time their battle occurred, I was already dead. But I was burned alive, so my spirit would not be able to rest. So I watched, but no one knew I was there." She said mumbled, looking down into her teacup. It wasn't the most pleasant memory. Then she looked at the clock. "Oh, would you look at the time! I have homework to do, and I'm sure you do to, so…"

Ryou was stunned for a second before he awkwardly stood. He clearly got her on a touchy subject, so he decided he may as well leave before he makes it worse. "Yeah, I'll be going… I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." She confirmed, standing up to usher him out of the house. She walked behind him as he headed towards the door. He opened it and left, but not before one more sheepish wave of his hand. She waved a little too, before closing the door. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair and taking the tie out in the process.

Just before she walked away from the door, she heard a small knock. She rose her eyebrow in confusion and opened the door. There was no one there, but she heard the small plop of an envelope. She looked down, and picked it up. She closed her door and locked it before opening the small envelope.

"Battle City?"

* * *

 **Well! Now begins the Battle City arc! I've decided when the story will end, now it's just a matter of getting there. Thank you to those who have followed and faved my story! Please leave reviews and let me know what you think. It really helps to boost my motivation.**

 **Also, I will be starting school next week. Senior year of highschool! It hasn't even started and I'm ready for it to be over. So, I will certainly have homework and whatnot from the getgo, so I'd appreciate patience if I don't get a chapter up on time or skip a week. Just thinking about school makes my anxiety flare up, so I'll be flooded with stress once it actually begins. Thank you for understanding.**

 **Anywho, see you next Tuesday!**

 **~Hinata-Chan33, Signing Out!~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Back again for another chapter! I start school tomorrow, so we'll see how this weekly thing goes. Anyway, now we're getting some canon plot in here! Now, will Jerah participate in the tournament, or not? You'll have to wait and see!**

 **A little PSA, after you read this chapter, please check out my poll on my profile! I have several stories that I've gotten started on, and you can go vote on which one I should publish after I complete this one!**

 **Anyways. Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters. I only own my OC and the bits of plot I add in.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

She wound up in the center of Domino, where she found many other people were there. Had they received the same invitation? She wondered how Kaiba even knew who she was. She wasn't a big duelist or anything. She was good, but she had never competed, cause the whole speaking thing.

No matter, he found out about her, and here she was. The invitation said there was supposed to be some sort of announcement. She looked around from where she stood, and met the eyes of Yugi.

Wait… No, that was Yami. Definitely Yami. He seemed surprised that she was here.

She was surprised herself, she didn't think she would ever be in a tournament, much less be invited to one. But here she was, waiting for the announcement of the biggest Duel Monsters tournament yet.

She still didn't know for sure if she would even officially enter, she was still thinking about it. She probably wouldn't, since she couldn't talk and really didn't want to have to shout across a playing field. But… that being said, she was still considering it.

While she was lost in thought, Yami and Tea had approached her, and Tea was waving her hand in front of her face. "Hellooo. Earth to Jerah." Said space-case blinked a couple times, her mind finally returning to reality. She flushed out of embarrassment, and scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

She waved to the two, and Yami looked at her uncertainly.

"You got an invitation too?" He asked, his eyebrows raising slightly as she took the said paper out of her pocket and held it up. "How would anyone know to invite you, though? You haven't dueled in any tournaments, and you don't know any big duelists personally…" Yami said, obviously as confused as she had been. Jerah simply shrugged.

The mute girl got out her notepad and began writing. " _You spoke to Ishizu, yes?_ " She showed Yami. He nodded curtly.

"I did. I don't know if everything she said is true, but I do know this… I must enter and win this tournament in order to fulfill my destiny." Yami said, appearing very serious. Tea hummed, seeming uncertain about something. Jerah just nodded again, quickly writing again.

" _Sounds about right._ " She smiled a little.

"Are you going to enter, Jerah?" Tea asked. Jerah shrugged yet again.

" _Possibly, but I don't know for certain. Things like this sorta depend on being able to speak, which I obviously can't do under most circumstances._ " Yami and Tea read the sloppy writing, becoming a bit confused.

"Under most circumstances? What does that mean?" Tea asked. Jerah sighed as she began to write, explaining this for the umpteenth time.

" _I have medicine I can take to numb my throat and allow me to speak without any pain. I have to mix it with tea to take it though._ " She explained on paper. They seemed to mostly understand now.

"Anyway, I think it would be best if you didn't enter, Jerah. I get the feeling it'll only get more dangerous form here. And Yami, you must promise me you'll be careful." Tea said, facing said duelist.

"Yes… Whoever is after the Millennium Puzzle is still out there." He paused for a moment, taking out his deck to gaze at the cards. "But you must trust me Tea, this deck has never let me down before. As long as Yugi and I stay connected to one another, I am confident that we can use this deck to win this tournament, unlock the mysteries of my ancient past, and realize our destiny."

"And you can count on my help." Tea said happily.

" _And mine."_ Jerah wrote and displayed cheerfully.

Suddenly then, Yami looked away and seemed to look around for something. Jerah noticed that he was tense all of a sudden, like he heard something that they didn't.

"Hey, what's the matter, is everything okay?" Tea asked, both her and Jerah looking concerned.

"Yes, Tea, it was nothing." Yami nodded, before their conversation was interrupted by a new voice.

"Hey Yugi! There you are!"

"It's Mai Valentine." Yami said, obviously recognizing the new person. Jerah just looked at her, a bit confused, but also noting that this new face was very pretty.

"Oh, joy." Tea said sarcastically, as Mai waved and excitedly approached them.

"I know you guys missed me!" Mai said confidently.

"It's such a shame we don't hang out more often." Tea remarked, a slight edge to her tone. Mai slung her arm around Tea's shoulder.

"Yes, it is, isn't it? You're looking snazzy Tea, is this a date?" Mai asked, clearly teasing Tea.

"We're just friends Mai." Tea insisted, a bit too quickly.

"Uh-huh." Mai drawled, not believing it for a minute. "Oh, there's someone new." She said, finally noticing that Jerah was there. "I'm Mai Valentine."

Jerah took a split second to write on her notepad. " _I'm Jerah._ "

"Oh, well aren't you cute?" Mai gushed a little, going to Jerah and playing with her hair. "I love your hair! Is it naturally this violet?" She asked, clearly admiring. Jerah nodded, seeming to be slightly uncomfortable with how close Mai was.

"I assume you've come here for the tournament?" Yami asked, successfully distracting Mai from Jerah.

"But of course." She said, while Jerah shot Yami a grateful look. "I presume you got an invitation also?"

"Yes, I did. But it didn't say who it was from. Do you know who's hosting this tournament?" Yami asked, his hands on his hips.

"I have no idea. It's a mystery." Mai said, her arms folded. She appeared to be contemplative. "Nobody seems to know. Everyone I spoke to got an anonymous invitation. But there is a buzz going around that it's someone with a ton of cash and an obnoxious attitude. I'd guess Kaiba."

Then, Jerah held up a piece of paper. " _I'll second that._ "

"Ah! That must be why Ishizu told me to enter! If the events of the past are to happen again, I must face Kaiba in this tournament." Yami said, seeming to connect the dots. Jerah flipped back to a specific page, showing it to Yami.

" _Sounds about right._ "

"What are you mumbling about?" Mai asked incredulously. "Anyway, nobody knows for sure who it is that's throwing this thing." Mai reiterated.

"I suppose we'll find out soon." Yami replied.

"It's pretty safe to say it's not Pegasus again." Mai commented, looking off to the side with a slight frown.

"Speaking of Pegasus, this is beginning to look like Duelist Kingdom all over again." Yami frowned, looking at a particular group of people. A light bulb went off in Jerah's head. She remembered Joey and Yugi mentioning Duelist Kingdom. Yugi had won that tournament. Jerah's gaze followed Yami to look at the people he was frowning at. She supposed that they were rivals of his?

"You can say that again. There certainly are a lot of familiar faces in this crowd." Mai seemed to almost glare. Both her and Yami were standing with their arms crossed as Tea looked around in confusion. "Most of whom I'm not too happy to see."

"Ugh, you're right!" Tea agreed, spotting a blue haired glasses kid and a kid wearing a red beanie. Jerah raised an eyebrow in silent confusion. Apparently, all three of her companions didn't like those two at all. "That's Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor!"

Really? Even their names sounded unpleasant. Jerah could tell just by looking at them that they were not the people to be near voluntarily.

Jerah sort of tuned out as they begun to point out duelists, familiar and new, amongst the crowd. She was caught up in the decision of whether or not she should take part in this tournament. She didn't know if that counted as part of her deal with the gods. She had to help the Pharaoh regain his memories and return to the afterlife, but did that mean she had to compete in this tournament? She already led him to Ishizu, what else could she possibly do? What good would come of her taking part in the tournament? In doing so, she would only serve to become another obstacle for the Pharaoh.

"And there he is now!" Jerah was broken from her thoughts by Tea's voice, as someone appeared on the giant screen on the side of a building. If she had to take a guess, she'd say that it was Kaiba.

"Kaiba." Yami almost growled, confirming Jerah's guess.

"Greetings, duelists. Welcome to the town of Domino." As he spoke, all the screens around the town square began to change to his face. Jerah frowned, he certainly was making a show of himself. "But more importantly, welcome to my tournament."

"I don't know which is bigger, his ego or his melon on the big screen!" Mai snarked, and Jerah sighed. Ah, an ego driven butt. Just the kind of person Jerah didn't like.

"Let's hear what Kaiba has to say." Yami said calmly. Jerah raised an eyebrow. Considering his face was everywhere and he was speaking louder than anyone here, they didn't seem to have much of a choice.

"I see you've each received your private invite to Kaiba Corp's very exclusive Duel Monsters Tournament." Big screen Kaiba continued. "And you had enough brains to show up here tonight." Jerah rolled her eyes, and everyone showed their dislike for that comment with hollers and shouts. Despite this, big screen Kaiba kept talking. "Being that you are all elite duelists, I've added special rules to my tournament, just for experts. For example, you will duel using these new improved duel disks." The crowd rang out with everyone's comments and awe.

"Another new rule," Kaiba talked on, "that I designed for the tournament is that before each duel, both players must ante up their rarest card, and the loser of the duel forfeits his card to the winner." Kaiba's eyes narrowed, as he was definitely smug about this new rule.

"Forfeit my Dark Magician?" Yami asked, not at all happy about that.

"That means losing even one duel can ruin my deck!" Mai stated with distaste.

"My competition will make Pegasus and his Duelist Kingdom tournament look like a joke." Again, the crowd had a lot to say. Everyone looked around as the wind picked up, and above them appeared Kaiba leaning out of his helicopter.

"Kaiba!" Yami said, staring straight up at the host of the tournament. Kaiba simply stared down at Yami for a bit, before continuing his spiel.

"Don't forget to register and pick up your duel disk, because exactly one week from today, my Battle City tournament begins!"

"You're on, Kaiba!" Yami shouted. Jerah thought that he seemed to be itching for a duel. Either that, or he's ready to start his road to destiny.

* * *

Jerah had left for home while the others were caught up in conversation. She was still uncertain, if this was something that she should take part in. She supposed she could ask, but it was rare that the gods ever answered prayers. She could only hope for some guidance; some pull in her heart to lead her in the right direction.

She paused, standing still on the sidewalk. It was pretty late out; nothing to light her way but the dim streetlights. She frowned, looking up at the night sky. She could just barely see some speckles of starlight beyond the light pollution of the city.

Jerah wished that the gods had given her more clarity on what her mission was. When she made that deal with them, they just told her that she had to help the Nameless Pharaoh regain his memories and return to the afterlife; in return, she'd return to life and reunite with Bakura and bring him to the afterlife as well.

But what exactly was she supposed to do? Did she need to stand by and support him? Did she need to enter this tournament with him? Did she need to tell him about life back in Ancient Egypt to help him remember?

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. What was she supposed to do?

"Jerah?" She turned abruptly, startled by the deep voice calling out to her. Her eyes met Yami's. He looked confused and concerned. "You just left without telling anyone. What are you doing out here alone? It's dangerous at this time of night."

The mute girl looked at him quietly, calculating. After a minute of silence, Yami seemed to blink into the realization that she wouldn't, and couldn't, respond.

"Oh…" He mumbled, a little embarrassed that he had forgotten. "Well, may I walk you home?" He offered, still concerned for her safety. After a moment of thought, she nodded. She started walking, hardly waiting for him to try and catch up. Even so, he caught up easily. They walked in silence for a few minutes, before she wrote on her notepad. She gave him the paper, and he had to squint to read it.

" _Just because I can't speak doesn't mean you're not allowed to. You can make conversation if you'd like._ " The paper read. Yami smiled a little, a short chuckle resounding from him.

"You noticed." He quipped, as she nodded with a knowing smile. She's met plenty of people who felt awkward talking to her simply because she couldn't talk back. He thought for a moment before speaking. "Do you think you'll participate in the tournament?"

She bit her lip, uncertain. She didn't know if she would, she didn't know if it was particularly necessary for her to do so. So, she shrugged.

"You had an ancient past too, if I remember correctly. Do you remember all of it?" He asked. She nodded. They were getting closer to her home now. Just a few houses away. "Who were you in your past?" She stayed silent for a bit, not replying in any sort of visual way either. They soon reached her house, and she paused. She turned to face him, a grim smile on her face.

"A thief." She left him there on the sidewalk as she went into her home.

* * *

"Aibou." Yugi looked at the spirit of the Pharaoh, who was sitting at Yugi's desk in his room. Yugi was laying on his bed in his pyjamas, his arms folded behind his head.

"Yes, Spirit?" Yugi replies calmly. He was beginning to feel tired. It was certainly past time to sleep.

"What do you think about Jerah?" Yami asked softly. Yugi shifted, sitting up and facing the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Both him and Yugi were deep in thought for a moment before the younger responded.

"I think she's a bit guarded. There's definitely something she doesn't want others to know." Yugi replied.

"She told me that she was a thief in the past. And she said that she didn't know much about my past, but I get the feeling she knows more than she lets on." Yami explained, looking down at his puzzle.

"She was a thief? Hmm… I've noticed that she spoke to Ryou in class. Do you think she knows Bakura?" Yugi asked, wondering if she had some connection to the spirit of the Ring.

"It's possible. There's also the matter of how she managed to show up here at all." The Pharaoh added.

"What do you mean?" Yugi questioned.

"I'm here because of the Puzzle. Bakura is here because of the Ring. We both have something that connects us to our ancient past, something that allows our spirit to exist in present day. But so far we've only seen one person in her. She's not a host, but she's not a spirit either." Yami supplied.

"Do you think she has an item?"

"I don't know, Aibou." Yami said. "But something is different about her. She said that she has all her memories from her past, yet she's different than me or Bakura. I don't understand what separates her from us." He sighed, gazing out the window. He heard Yugi sigh as well, and glanced over at the boy.

"Either way, it's late. We should rest." He suggested, yawning and stretching his arms up. Yami silently retreated into the puzzle.

* * *

Jerah stood as the final bell rang. She was going right home today. She needed to try and speak to the gods today. She needed some guidance, and she better get some. She didn't even stop at her locker, she just speed-walked through the halls and right out of the building. She vaguely heard someone trying to call out to her, but she ignored them and continued speeding home.

Soon enough she was at home, and she went into her room and set up a small layout of candles and incense, and placed a small idol of Ra in front of her. In order to speak to the gods, she needed to clear her mind so they would be able to reach out to her clearly. But that was if they would reach out to her at all.

Jerah took a deep breath, closing her eyes and quieting her thoughts. The incense helped to ease her, the smell filling her lungs as she slowed her breathing. She stayed in deep meditation for about an hour before she allowed one question to flit across her mind.

Must I enter the tournament to fulfill my mission?

And then, silence. For a good long while.

Knock knock!

She was shoved out of meditation by the sound, and she glared in the general direction of her front door. Damn. She didn't even get a proper answer. She hoped she'd get one by the end of the week though. Or else she wouldn't be able to even register for the tournament. She blew out the candles and the incense had burned out by itself. She got up and walked to the door, swinging it open.

Standing there, was Bakura, looking a bit angry.

Jerah coughed, glaring at Bakura. "I was in the middle of something." She grumbled, her voice raspy from not taking her medication.

"And what would that be?" He asked, stepping into her house.

"I was trying to get ahold of someone. Why are you even here, anyway?" Jerah asked as Bakura walked right past her and followed the scent of the incense.

"Were you trying to summon someone?"

"Why are you here?"

"I asked first!"

"And you barged into my home with no explanation!" Jerah shouted, coughing. A tad bit of blood stained her lips, and she quietly cursed. Her throat was hurting like hell. Bakura shut up, feeling guilty that he had made her upset enough for her to yell. Now she was in pain.

"Where is your medicine?" He asked. She walked towards the kitched, and she got her medicine out. He took it from her and started a pot of water for tea. They were silent for a few minutes until Bakura spoke. "I don't really know why I came here. I felt that something was wrong."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I-"

"Don't speak. Not yet." He commanded. He didn't want her to purposely hurt herself in order to explain herself to him. Her explanation could wait until she had taken her medicine and calmed down. It was still daylight, they had time. She pouted, but complied.

Soon enough, the tea was made and it was cool enough for her to drink it so she could speak properly without any more damage.

"I was trying to get ahold of the gods. To clear some things up." She said softly, staring down into her teacup. She knew he didn't like her method of contacting them, because the meditation left her wide open to much darker forces than she could handle.

Bakura frowned, "You were doing that meditation rit-"

"Yes, I was, but I needed to clear some things up and that's the only way they will allow me to hear them besides dreams, and who knows when I'll have one. So I decided I would initiate the conversation. I need to know what to do to complete my end of the deal."

"That wasn't discussed when you made the deal?" The thief asked incredulously.

"Not the details. I have a general idea on what I'm supposed to do, but they never specified the details. I don't know exactly what I have to do, I just know I have to do something." She explained, now irritated that she hadn't previously discussed this with the gods. She should've cleared this up previously, but of course, at that time she was happy they were making a deal with her at all. So she didn't put much thought into it.

"Idiot." Bakura said, lightly knocking on her head. She sighed, her thumb running back and forth against the edge of the teacup.

"I know. But until they respond to me…" She huffed softly, blowing her bangs out of her face. "I suppose I should prepare for the tournament."

"Tournament?"

"Yes, Battle City. A tournament Kaiba is holding, and the Pharaoh says he needs to compete in order to complete his destiny." Jerah explained nonchalantly.

Bakura's eyes glinted dangerously. He supposed he would have to take part in this tournament as well, if he wanted his revenge on the Pharaoh.

* * *

 **Welp, there we go. Until next Tuesday! Please review, and remember to check out my poll!**

 **~Hinata-Chan33, Signing Out!~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello. Sorry, everyone. I missed updating last week, but I have a good reason! I've just started Senior year of high school, so I've been trying to get back in the groove of school everyday. With that, and homework, not only do I have less time, but I'm more exhausted. Being an introvert really sucks. But, somehow I manage. Well, as an apology for not updating last Tuesday, I'll be posting another chapter soon after this one! I'll either get it up tonight or tomorrow evening, but either way, it'll be up soon. Thank you all for understanding. R &R!**

 **And I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Just my character, and the bits of non-canon plot that I made up myself. Enjoy!**

* * *

Throughout the week, Jerah spent her days preparing her deck and her mind for the Battle City tournament. Come the last day before the tournament, and Jerah was standing in front of the shop in which she would register.

 _The gods still haven't told me the path I must take… I suppose all I can do now is give all my power in helping the Pharaoh. It seems it's the only instruction I've got._

Amidst her thoughts, she gazed at the door of the shop, her determination unwavering. This is what she had to do. She had prepared herself for this tournament, perfecting her strategies and working through new combos to help her be as strong of a duelist as she could. She was ready for this. In theory, anyway.

She walked through the door of the shop, telling the cashier her name. She only had to wait a moment before the results showed up. She was a 4 star duelist. She still wondered how in the world Kaiba knew of her, but somehow he did. She was given her duel disk, and the cashier seemed to gaze a little too enviously at the picture of her rare card on the screen.

So what if she had Sorcerer of Dark Magic? It was a super rare card, if she remembered correctly, but that didn't mean much to her. Her parents had given her this card when she was a child, and this was also her Ka back in ancient Egypt. She kept it for the sentimental value, which she supposed would make it much harder to part with if she ever lost. But she vowed to herself that that would not happen. Not until she had to face the Pharaoh.

She received her duel disk and walked out of the shop, nearly running into Yugi as he ran past the shop. Thankfully, her reflexes kicked in, and she moved out of the way before either of them could get hurt. Yugi ran past her as he slowed down, turning to face her. "Jerah?" In a split second, he took notice of the box in her arms, which he knew held a duel disk. "You're entering the tournament?"

The girl nodded, seeming serious. "I have to." She said softly, gazing down at the duel disk. She glanced at Yugi just as he was about to question her, and she quickly spoke again before he could. "Anyway, why are you in such a rush?" She asked quizzically. Suddenly Yugi's eyes widened, remembering why he was running in the first place.

"Joey was supposed to go to the hospital to help his sister, but he never showed! We're all looking for him!" Yugi explained quickly as he started running again. Jerah's eyes widened, swiftly grasping the weight of the situation. A quick mental game of 'connect the dots' told Jerah that Joey must have been in danger, if he didn't show up to see his sister, who she could easily guess was important to him. She quickly opened her box and started running as she slipped the duel disk on her arm and shoved the locator card in her pocket. She had to look for Joey too, because he was Yugi's friend.

She ran around for a bit, looking in every alley and road for the blond boy. By the time she ran into Yugi again, and found Tea there with him, she was in the warehouse district. She stopped beside them, out of breath.

"We checked everywhere, Yugi!" Tea lamented, as Jerah nodded in agreement. Then they all heard honking, and looked to see Tristan driving past on his motorcycle.

"Hey, look who I found!" He called out as he sped past them, with Joey sitting behind him.

"He found Joey!"

"He's alright, and he can still make it for the operation!" Yugi and Tea both cried out in relief, and Jerah just smiled, watching as Tristan and Joey headed to the hospital. Then, Yugi suggested they wait at his house to hear from Joey again. As they walked there, they told Jerah about the whole situation in detail, so she was caught up on all the goings on. She listened carefully, finding in her heart a new respect for Joey, with how much he cares for his sister.

* * *

"Hey, Joey! Serenity's operation went well?" Yugi asked into the phone. He, Jerah, and Tea had gathered at Yugi's house to wait for any news. When Yugi shouted in joy, Tea and Jerah joined him with a chorus of 'awesome!' and 'that's wonderful!'.

Then, Jerah and Tea listened closely as the boys continued on to a new topic. They could sort of hear Joey's side, but they mostly had to rely on Yugi to hear what was going on.

"Who were those guys last night, Joey?" Yugi asked.

"You mean those three butt-ugly chumps who forced me to duel?" Joey clarified, before continuing, "All I know is I'm gonna find 'em and win back my Red Eyes!"

"Well, I'll be there to help you Joey." Yugi said, looking at Jerah as she gave a thumbs up in agreement.

"I know you will, pal. Listen, I'll stop by on my way home."

"You got it! Bye!" Yugi said cheerfully before hanging up the phone. Yugi turned to the girls, "Joey is going to come by on his way home." He told them, smiling. Tea nodded, checking her phone after it buzzed.

"Alright, give him my best. I have to head out." She said sadly, "I'll see you guys later, okay?" She said, and she left without a reply. Jerah and Yugi looked to the door, both confused at her strange behavior.

Yugi looked at Jerah, pointing towards where Tea just left. Jerah gave an exaggerated shrug, throwing her arms up in the air. Yugi chuckled softly at her antics.

"Well, anyway. How are you feeling, Jerah?" He asked, sitting on the opposite side of the couch and facing her. She faced him as well, resting back on the armrest. She thought a moment. She coughed a bit before replying.

"I'm alright." She whispered. It was much less painful when she whispered, but she still had to be careful.

Then, Yugi got a serious look on his face. He was thinking about something deeply; she could see it. His emotions and thoughts were always written in the expression he wore.

"One." Jerah whispered. Purple eyes rose and gazed at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

"You may ask one question." She reiterated softly, a little knowing smile on her face. Yugi's relaxed in realization, and he chuckled a bit.

"I'm that easy to read, huh?" He asked softly. Jerah giggled and raised an eyebrow. Then the realization hit him. "Wait, no, that wasn't my question! It doesn't count!" His face flushed as Jerah laughed out loud. She coughed a bit though, reducing her laugh to a quiet, rough chuckle.

"Try again." She mumbled, smiling. Yugi nodded, taking a deep breath. His face became somber as he spoke.

"How did you lose your voice?" He queried, looking at her tentatively. She looked a little shocked, but then her face fell drastically. Yugi immediately felt anxious, thinking that he was way out of line asking something so personal. "W-well, never mind, you don't have to-"

"It's okay." She interrupted him, smiling somberly. "I trust you." She said, taking his outstretched hand for a moment, before letting it go. Yugi was a little shocked, but let her continue. "It's a hard story to tell, because I was very young, but I'll tell you what I can."

She took a deep breath; this was going to be a lot to say. She couldn't condense much without leaving out essential parts of the story. She'd just have to whisper it all. Not strange at all.

"I was 7 years old… My parents and I were travelling… somewhere, in Egypt. I vaguely remember being in a car. I had been distracted, playing with a doll my mother had gotten me. Then, suddenly, everything was loud. I went unconscious pretty fast. When I woke up next," She coughed a little bit, but stopped Yugi from leaving to get her something. "I was in a hospital. They told me my parents died on impact, and I had somehow crashed my throat into my mother's seat. Looking back on it now, it's not all that surprising. They car was very old, I'm certain the seat belts weren't up to par. Anyway, the impact permanently damaged my throat. It's extremely painful to speak without my medicine. Whispering is mostly okay, as long as it's limited." Jerah explained, as she coughed again. This time, she didn't stop him from getting up. A minute later, he returned with a glass of water.

"To go through that at such a young age… What happened after that?" Yugi asked softly, curious and slightly concerned for his friend. How had she managed to get through that, and make it to Japan afterwards? There were things she still wasn't telling him. How was she connected to Bakura, to Ancient Egypt? Yugi looked at Jerah, watching her smile; there was something hidden behind it. Hesitation? Apprehension?

"How about you? How'd you come to find the Puzzle?" She nonchalantly changed the topic. It was too obvious for Yugi to not notice, but he relented and let her do so. He had asked her something really personal, so he decided that it was okay for her to direct the conversation at him.

"My Grandpa gave it to me. It was found in the tomb of an Ancient Pharaoh. It took me eight years to solve it…" Yugi explained shortly, looking down at his Millennium Puzzle. "At first I didn't know about the spirit within the Puzzle… I would just have times where I didn't remember what happened. I'd end up somewhere without knowing how I got there. Then, throughout Duelist Kingdom, I got to know him, and I started to be able to talk to him within my mind." Yugi explained, looking down at the Puzzle fondly. It was clear to Jerah that they had been through a lot, but through that they had developed a bond; a respect for each other that would be hard for anyone to match.

"Does the Pharaoh have any questions for me?" Jerah asked quietly, gazing at Yugi calmly. Yugi looked at her, taking a moment to think. Well, rather, to ask the Spirit if he wanted to talk to her. She watched them switch control, raising an eyebrow. Apparently he did have things to talk about. "Hello, Pharaoh." She murmured.

"What connection do you have with Bakura?" Yami asked, with hardly a lick of hesitation.

"Hm. Straight to the point. I like that." She commented, flashing a smile before answering. "I feel as though this is a simple question. Too simple. You should know the answer already." With the confused, blank look he gave her, she realized that he was asking it seriously. She let out a dramatic sigh. "Clues: I told you I was a thief. I knew Bakura. Connect the dots." She frowned, raising her eyebrow at him. She knew he was smart enough to figure it out. He had been a Pharaoh once, after all. All that studying and training couldn't have left him, even with his memories locked away. The wisdom would still be there.

She watched him put two and two together in his head. "You and Bakura were comrades?" He asked, almost unsure of his answer.

"Basically. To make a long story short, he rescued me. Saved my life several times. Taught me to survive, while also giving me a place beside him, where I could thrive." She said softly, her eyes looking past Yami. To the Pharaoh, it looked as though Jerah was watching it all replay before her eyes.

Before Yami could ask anything else, Joey entered the shop and called for Yugi. The boy had quickly taken over, walking down to the shop to greet Joey as Jerah returned to reality. She quickly made her exit, spouting her usual excuse of needing medication, leaving Joey and Yugi at the shop.

* * *

It was still daylight when Jerah reached her home, so she decided to grab some cash and hit a café. She didn't have much money to spare, but she figured a splurge once in a while wasn't so bad. She would just get something small anyway.

After a bit, she wound up in the city square. She went into a random café and got herself a Rose tea. Thankfully the barista there knew sign language, because she really didn't feel like talking anymore. She got a discount for being a first time customer, and Jerah was immensely happy for that. The tea was already inexpensive, only at 450 yen for a medium, but the price dropped down to 300 yen after the discount. She happily took her hot tea and left the shop, heading back home. She wanted to look at her deck one last time before the tournament began.

She took her time walking, keeping her pace at a slow, casual stroll. She took a detour, heading towards the pier. She had never been quite so close to natural water, not in a long time anyway. Standing at the edge, she gazed out towards the sunset. It was beautiful here.

The light breeze brushing against her skin, the sun making the sky light up in a rainbow of colors. It all seemed so surreal. She was really here, in modern day. She was in Domino City, Japan.

A wave of homesickness crashed into her chest, forcing Jerah to take a deep breath to steady herself. Being so far away from Egypt, from her proper place in time, she felt so out of place.

With a new resolve, she knew she had to do everything in her power to help the Pharaoh move on to the afterlife, despite knowing Bakura won't like it. She needed to be able to rest, too.

She may have a new body, but her spirit was old, and weary. All she wanted, was to be able to move on. To move on into the after with her thief. That was all she needed.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I'll have that next chapter up tonight or tomorrow. And get excited, because with the next chapter, Battle City officially begins!**

 **Please review! If you like the story, you can go right on ahead and follow/favorite!**

 **~Hinata-Chan33, Signing Out!~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Again. Haha, I said I'd post another chapter tonight! And I stayed up late to finish it, so I hope you all enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own YGO, only my OC and the bits of plot that I change/add in. R &R!**

* * *

Inhale, exhale. This was it. Today, the tournament begins. Jerah was ready. She had picked an outfit especially for today. It wasn't anything too crazy. Her sleeveless hoodie, and some skinny jeans, with her favorite pair of sneakers.

Besides her wardrobe, she was mentally ready for this tournament. She had figured out countless strategies, combos, and plays she could use to win every duel. She was pretty confident in her skills. Also, she kept an abundance of her medicine on her, and also had some before she left. This way, she'd be able to speak during the duels.

Walking in to Domino Square, she almost felt like shrinking. There were so many people! She needed how many locator cards? Speaking of, she took her one out of her pocket. It was strange, but it wasn't difficult to understand. She needed the other pieces to the puzzle, to make the map. Easy enough. But the hard part was dueling other people to get the locator cards necessary. That's where she was out of practice. She looked up from her card, and spotted Yugi, a short distance away. Jerah began to walk towards him. Just as she was going to greet him, Mai appeared and beat her to it.

"Yugi!" She waved, running up.

"Hey Mai!" Yugi sounded happy. Jerah was glad for that, because she knew that there would be a lot of danger up ahead.

"Pretty big turn up for this thing." Mai commented, looking around. "All losers."

"Well, there's a lot of duelists here I've never seen before."

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Mai cheered. "I wonder whose butt I should kick first in this tournament." She said mischievously.

"Yugi! I thought I'd see you buzzing around!" A new voice entered the conversation, and it reminded Jerah of someone talking with a sore throat. Upon turning towards the new voice, Yugi noticed Jerah walking up next to him.

"Oh, hello, Jerah." Yugi greeted, happy to have something to distract him from Weevil. The girl waved, smiling kindly.

"Hello." Her voice was soft, almost timid.

"Don't ignore me!" Weevil shrilled, and Jerah cringed. His voice was terrible. Mai rolled her eyes.

"If it isn't Rex Raptor and Weevil. I thought I smelled something." Mai grumbled, clearly as un-thrilled as Yugi and Jerah.

"I'll never forget how you played me like a chump-osaurus at Duelist Kingdom, Mai!" Rex grumbled loudly, and Jerah rolled her eyes. She already didn't like the pair. At all. "Now it's payback time!"

"And Yugi!" Weevil added, "Next time we duel you won't be so lucky! My deck is infested with swarms of rare and powerful insects!" Weevil bragged, laughing in his creepy voice. Jerah cringed; both of the boys had voices that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

Then someone new grabbed Weevil in a choke hold. "Those are large words coming from such a small guppy!" He said. At least this guy's voice was a bit more tolerable.

"Mako Tsunami!" Yugi recognized the man easily. Jerah assumed that he was another opponent from Duelist Kingdom.

"If anyone shall make any waves, it will be me!" He proudly proclaimed as he let Weevil go. The bug boy took a few seconds to catch his breath.

"You think you'll win this tournament?!" Weevil shouted, shaking his fist at Mako.

"Of course! There's nothing that can withstand my mighty denizens of the deep!"

Then, Rex butted in. "Your sardines will be crushed by my dino hoard!"

"Don't be so sure!" Mako countered. "My brand new Fortress Whale card is much mightier than your two headed King Rex." Off to the side, Yugi and Mai stood, watching and sweat dropping.

Jerah just accepted the fact that not many would actually consider her to be real competition. She had never been previously established at any tournaments, after all. No one knew her skill. So far, the potential enemies hadn't even really acknowledged that she was there.

"Well, I have a monster far superior to my Great Moth! But don't think I'll tell you what it is!" Jerah scowled.

 _Honestly, don't they ever shut up?_ She thought, casting a glance at Yugi. He didn't seem to be too bothered by it.

"Well maybe I can just shake it out of you, Weevil!" Mako growled, shaking the bug boy. Mai sighed, and Jerah turned her attention to the blonde.  
"Some duelists just never change." She commented as she scratched the back of her head.

Jerah tuned out the rest of their pointless conversation, before she made them shut up. She looked around, spotting an awfully suspicious character. There was something about him. He would certainly play a part in the entrance of the dangers that lie ahead. She could feel it.

When she returned to the group she was standing by, the three unfamiliar duelists had dispersed, and Mai was saying her farewell to Yugi.

"Remember, next time we meet, we're rivals." She reminded him. Jerah liked Mai, it was almost hard to imagine her as a rival. But then she remembered, she might even have to duel against Yugi in the finals. That was a scary thought.

"Right." Yugi agreed cheerfully with a nod of his head. Jerah smiled as she watched him. She thought it nice that he still wanted to make this a friendly competition for as long as he could before he had to acknowledge the looming dangers ahead.

"I'll be your rival too, Jerah." Mai smiled, sending her a thumbs up. Jerah blinked, before revealing a shy grin.

"Indeed. I'll be expecting your all." Jerah said good naturedly.

"That's all I ever give." Mai said, before taking off.

Then Yugi walked around, and Jerah mostly stuck by him. He was the only one around that she had found that she knew, so she decided that staying by his side would be best. After all, she had a mission to complete that revolved around the Pharaoh residing in the Puzzle he wore.

As they walked into a new area, Yugi spoke. "Kaiba should be announcing the start of the Battle City Tournament any second now." Jerah looked at him as his eyes wandered around the surrounding area. "But I can't find a trace of Joey and I've looked everywhere." Jerah hummed, considering his words.

"Maybe he's late?" She suggested loosely. She didn't know too much about how punctual he was, so her input could be valid, or not.

"I hope he shows up before this starts." Yugi said with a shrug, seeming a little worried for his friend.

"Greetings, duelists." Kaiba's voice echoed, but it seemed that no one could figure out where it was coming from. A large shadow drifted over everyone, and all eyes looked up. Looked like Big screen Kaiba got an upgrade. Now he's on an even bigger screen. On a blimp. Show off.

Jerah followed Yugi to a roof of some building, to get closer to the blimp and see what was going on.

"It's Kaiba!" Yugi shouted, and Jerah nodded. Clearly. He didn't exactly need to point that out.

"It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition." Bigger screen Kaiba continued. "Battle City's gonna be an all-out war!" He declared. Jerah scowled. She knew this much, simply because there was much more at stake in this competition than most realized. Kaiba continued.

"Before my Battle City tournament begins, I thought I'd let you all know what you're in for in case you wanna back out now." _Oh, how considerate._ Jerah rolled her eyes. "Let's begin with my new duel disks. Everyone who I decided was good enough to enter received one; with it you can duel anytime, anywhere. And, they contain a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make. Next," Jerah placed her hand on her hip and shifted her weight. This guy was going to talk for a while. "Let's talk about the most important tournament rule: The loser of each duel is required to fork up their rarest card to the winner. If you don't have the guts to risk losing your precious cards, then I suggest you forfeit now. And, anyone who's foolish enough can challenge me to a duel. Because I'll also be competing in this tournament."

"Thought so." Yugi breathed, and Jerah nodded in agreement.

"Not surprised."

"But don't get your hopes up, because I intend to win, and there's one duelist out there I can't wait to defeat." Jerah looked over at Yugi, assuming correctly that it was him.

"You're on, Kaiba." Yugi replied, though Kaiba wouldn't be able to hear him.

"And speaking of winning, only the 8 best duelists will make it to the final round. And these finals will be held in a hidden location. In order to find the finals, you'll need these locator cards. You've each received one with you duel disk, but don't get too excited, because one's not enough. You'll need six of them to make it to the tournament finals." How long was this explanation going to last? Jerah was getting bored. This stuff was all important, yes, but boring.

"Every time you win a duel, you get a locator card from your losing opponent. When six cards are stacked together, they produce a map of Battle City, and activate a global positioning satellite which will transmit the location to you. But, the tournament finals are a long time away and most of you will be eliminated way before that. Alright, everything I just said and more can be found in my tournament rule book. Just remember, only one player can win and claim the title of #1 duelist in the world!" Kaiba proclaimed. It seemed that everyone believed that they would win and become the #1 duelist.

But of course, that's not what Jerah was aiming for. She only needed to complete her mission. Nothing else mattered to her but that.

"Now get ready, duelists! Let the tournament begin!" Bigger screen Kaiba announced.

"Finally, he's done talking!" Jerah grumbled, crushing back her bangs for a moment. Yugi smiled up at her, then looked determined.

"Well, time to face my destiny!" He said, clearly ready to face anything. Jerah wondered just how prepared his mind was.

"And I'll be right there with you, Yugi. After all, I want to help the Pharaoh too." She smiled. Of course, she did have an ulterior motive, but he didn't need to know that.

"Where are ya, ya creep!" Jerah and Yugi both turned and looked down to the sea of people to spot a familiar face.

"What's he doing?" Yugi asked, watching Joey walk down below.

"You said his Red Eyes was taken, yes?" Jerah asked, recalling the story right after Joey was taken, by Tristan, to see his sister. Yugi's eyes widened.

"He's going to try to get it back!"

"Then let's go help him!" Jerah said, running towards the stairs leading to ground level, and Yugi followed her. By the time they reached him, Joey was already confronting the caped creep.

"Joey!" Yugi called as he and Jerah ran towards the blond. Yugi gasped as he saw the cloaked creepo, and Jerah presumed that he was the guy who took Joey's card. This was confirmed when Joey pointed at him.

"That's one of the goons who swiped my Red Eyes!" Jerah recognized him as the creep from earlier in the day, that she had an odd feeling about. "They call themselves Rare Hunters, which, to me, translates into cape-wearing, card-taking-freakizoids!" Joey stepped in front of Yugi. "And this one owes me a rematch so I can win back my Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

"I already told you, you have nothing that's of any use to me!" The Rare Hunter said. "But perhaps your friend would be interested in being my next victim!" He proposed. "It would be my pleasure to hunt the Duelist Kingdom champion, and snare his Dark Magician! So I challenge Yugi Moto to a duel!" But Joey wasn't having it at all.

"Look, this is between you and me, got it?"

"Joey, wait." Yugi told him, standing beside his friend. "Fine, Rare Hunter! I accept your challenge!"

"But, Yug!" Joey protested, clearly not wanting his friend to risk losing his card. Still, Yugi was stubborn. More so than he appeared.

"It's the only way to get back your Red Eyes Black Dragon. I promise you, I'll beat him Joey." Yugi said, letting the Millennium Spirit take over. "So do we have a deal, Rare Hunter?" Yami asked, glaring at the creep. "As my first Battle City opponent, if you lose you must return Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon. And if you win this Duel, I'll hand over my Dark Magician to you."

"Yugi, there's no way I'm letting you risk your Dark Magician. I can take him." Joey threw a glare at the Rare Hunter. "I'll never forgive myself if that ugly bum takes your most valuable card! I'll deal with this, it's my-" But Yami shut him up.

"Thank you Joey, but I must duel this Rare Hunter."

"But-"

"I'll have to risk losing my Dark Magician eventually. This is my first Battle City duel, and the first step in fulfilling my destiny." Joey was stunned, but Jerah stood beside him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Joey. This duel is the least of his worries." She said lowly, her eyes staring towards the Hunter. Before Joey could respond, the Hunter spoke.

"Let's get on with this hunt already; the sooner I can take my prize, the better!"

"I'm ready to duel whenever you are, rare hunter!"

"Yug, wait!" Joey said, and the Rare Hunter stepped closer.

"Ah-ah-ah. Don't even think about revealing my strategy, Joey Wheeler! If you say a word about how I defeated you," He began, as he removed his cloak, "I'll tear your Red Eyes Black Dragon to shreds! So, I'd give my mouth a rest if I were you, and allow me to stalk the Duelist Kingdom champion, and take his Dark Magician without your commentary."

"Fine, I'll duel you one on one." Yami agreed, with a confident smirk on his face. He seemed tense, but of course his best friend's card was hanging in the balance.

"Activate: Holo Imagers!" Yami shouted, holding out his Duel Disk. The little hologram contraptions flew out of the bottom of the disk and landed safely nearby.

"Let's Duel!" Both competitors shouted at the same time, and their life points counters both started at 4000.

Jerah watched closely as the duel began. She was excited to see the skills of the Pharaoh.

"I draw first." Yami spoke as he drew a card. Both opponents looked at their hands, analyzing what moves would be smart. "Now get ready!"

Jerah watched both players, noting that the Hunter seemed a little too happy about the hand he got. She just hoped that the Pharaoh would be careful.

"Yug, watch out for-"

"Silence, Wheeler!" The Hunter cut him off. "Or say goodbye to your Red Eyes!" Yami simply continued with his turn.

"To start off, I place two cards face down on the field. Next I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior, in attack mode!" The monster emerged from the card, letting out a short roar. "Can you handle my newest monster?" Yami asked.

Jerah ignored the dumb comments being made by some of the watchers in the crowd and focused on the duel.

"My first card will be… Huh, just what I suspected! Graceful Charity lets me draw three cards, and I discard two." Jerah frowned.

 _Yes, yes, we know what the card does. It's not exactly a rare card; a lot of people have seen it or have one themselves._

"If you only knew what was in my hand waiting, you'd forfeit now, and relinquish your rare Dark Magician." The Rare Hunter taunted. A scare tactic that the Pharaoh clearly wasn't falling for.

"Never! I may not know what's in your hand, but my trap card Light of Intervention reveals all your hidden monsters on the field! There will be no surprise attacks from you!"

"Doesn't matter. Stone Statue of the Aztecs, in defense mode!" Jerah noticed the look on Yami's face. He's noticed, too, that the Hunter is hiding behind defense. He's planning something, and Yami is already catching on.

"It's time for your stone statue to crumble, now! By Battle City rules, I sacrifice my weaker Magnet Warrior to summon the almighty Berfomet! And he is able to bring forth Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts! That's not all! Now, I use Polymerization to fuse them together… to form Chimera, The Flying Mythical Beast!" The two beasts morphed into one and took its stance on the field. "On my next turn, my all powerful Chimera will erode your Stone Statue into tiny pieces of rubble! Then, according to Battle City rules, once you have no monsters left on the field, I can attack your life points directly!"

"Very impressive! But you'll need more than that to scare off the Hunter!"

Jerah smiled, hiding it behind her hand as she thought. _I'm sure the Pharaoh has only gotten started._

"Listen, Yug, this guy's got a plan to wipe you out! Check out the grin on that ugly kisser of his!" Joey told Yami. Jerah had to admit, the Hunter was a pretty ugly dude, but she was more turned off by the evil in his eyes than anything else. "This is exactly what the old creep did to me!" Joey continued. "He's got something in his hand that's gonna-"

"Silence, Wheeler! One more word out of you and say goodbye to your Red Eyes forever!" The Hunter yelled at him.

"Geez, this guy needs to come up with some new threats. Saying the same thing over and over really makes it stale." Jerah grumbled. Joey looked at her, kind of shocked.

"You can talk?"

"That's not important right now. Focus on the duel." Jerah told him, pointing towards Yami.

"I'll end my turn by placing this card face down on the field." Yami was so focused on the duel, it was hard to even focus on anything but the duel as well. She could practically feel the Pharaoh's determination to win, all the way over from the sidelines.

"I predict another Graceful Charity!" The Hunter said as he drew a card. He looked at it, his grin never faltering for a second. "Heh, imagine that. I was correct!" He placed the card in a magic card slot in the disk, and continued. "I draw three more cards, and discard two!"

Jerah sneered at the Hunter. He must be using some sort of ruse, in order to know what card he'll draw next. That would be, what's the word? Cheating.

From the look on his face, Yami must be thinking the same thing. Or at least questioning how the Hunter would know the card he'd draw next.

"Yugi, your Dark Magician is as good as mine!" The creep chuckled. He must think he's got some flawless strategy in order to defeat Yami. "Now, I'll strengthen my defenses! Hm. To protect me, Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress! Even your Chimera's not powerful enough to destroy it! What are you going to do now, Yugi? You can't beat me if you can't get by my defenses!"

Jerah crossed her arms over her chest, resting her weight on her left foot. _Does this guy ever shut up?_

Yami replied, "You may be protecting your life points with fortresses and stone walls, Rare Hunter, but in order for you to win this duel you must attack me eventually. So, what are you waiting for?"

"Oh, you'll find out." Another taunt. "Soon enough, Yugi. So go ahead! Make your move! The Hunter will strike his prey when the time is right!"

"Hey Yug! Hold it!" Joey interrupted again, and rand a bit closer to Yami before Jerah could stop him. "I can't stand by and watch this! No way! I won't let you lose your Dark Magician for me!"

"That's enough, Joey!" Yami shouted at him. "You must not reveal the Rare Hunter's strategy." His tone calmed, but still held that determination as he spoke again. "I will defeat him. You're my friend, Joey, and I'm fighting this duel for you, just as you would do for me."

"You're right." Joey said, seeming to finally get it in his head that Yami wasn't going to back down from this. He couldn't.

"Do you remember the time Weevil through my Exodia cards into the ocean? You risked your life to try to get my cards back. Not just because Exodia is the most powerful card in the game, but because I was a friend in need." Then, Yami seemed to piece together the Hunter's strategy. With a confident smirk, he aimed his next words at the Hunter. "I'm onto you! I know your strategy, Rare Hunter!"

"Huh?"

"You're planning to summon Exodia, the Forbidden One!" The utter horror on the Hunter's face was _priceless._

"Alright!" Joey cheered, and Yami sent Joey a thumbs up.

"Thank you Joey, you allowed me to figure out his strategy without actually telling it to me."

"Aw, yeah!" Joey grinned, sending a thumbs up right back.

"Just because you figured out my strategy, doesn't mean you can stop me from succeeding! Everyone knows Exodia's the most powerful creature in Duel Monsters! How will you stop the unstoppable Exodia?"

"True," Yami conceded, "No one has ever defeated Exodia. But in order to win back Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon, I'll be the first." Yami said, confident that he would find a way. And Jerah certainly didn't doubt that he would. Just watching him duel, he was so in his element, it was like watching a fish swim. Dueling seemed so natural for him, which she expected. Being a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, he would have been trained in duels; but instead of using cards, one would use their Ka monster.

"Give up, Yugi! My hunt is over!" The Hunter said.

 _Not so fast, Hunter. If only you knew who you're dealing with. He may not remember his past, but her certainly has the skills he must have had back then. I wouldn't underestimate him. But, I suppose… It's too late for that._

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please review! And also, I will try my best to stick to my weekly Tuesday schedule, but if I miss an update, please understand. I can't always get personal projects done when I have a lot of homework! And if I change the update schedule, I'll let you all know in the author's note of whatever chapter I post when I decide to change it.**

 **This chapter is a little rough at the end, in case you didn't notice. It's a little difficult to write duels.**

 **Anyway, I have to get up super early tomorrow, so I'll see you all next week!**

 **~Hinata-Chan, Signing Out!~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, again! I'm here with another chapter! It was a tad rushed, so please take it with a grain of salt. I promise, it will get a little more captivating once I can get my character in where I want her. Once I get into my groove, it'll be chill. Kay? Kay. I hope you enjoy, R &R!**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. I wish. I only own my OC and the bits of plot I change or add in.**

* * *

"Ahahaha! That's nice work, but I'm afraid it's too little, too late!" The Hunter proclaimed, while Yugi and Joey looked apprehensive, but at least somewhat hopeful. Jerah, on the other hand, watched the duel with interest, but was otherwise not too emotionally involved. She saw this as an opportunity to see what the Pharaoh could do, to assess his skills to help determine what kind of help she would need to give him.

Although… Looking at Joey, seeing him wanting so badly to get his card back, she couldn't help but her let heart reach out to him. Inwardly, anyway.

"It's my move, now!" Yami declared, seeming unfazed by the taunts of the Hunter. Jerah smiled, Yami could certainly put up a good poker face. "I place one card face down on the field, and I attack with Chimera, The Flying Mythical Beast! Demolish his Stone Statue!" The monster was destroyed, leaving Chimera to return to his place above his card on the field. "You're left with one monster."

The Hunter laughed, claiming that it didn't matter to him. "I knew that even you couldn't beat me in one turn!" He shouted, already claiming victory before the duel was even over. He then went on to explain how he was going to win once he drew his next card and add Yugi's Dark Magician to his collection of rare cards. "My master will be extremely pleased! Bye, bye, Yugi! Now I will draw the final-"

"Not so fast, Rare Hunter!" Yami interrupted, shocking his opponent. The trap Yami had placed was Time Seal, which would prevent the Rare Hunter from drawing any cards. "And that means you can't pick the final Exodia card yet; This duel is far from over, Rare Hunter!" After a second to recover, the Hunter taunted again.

"Hmm, a _desperate_ move from my _desperate_ prey!"

On the sidelines, Joey sighed in relief. "I thought Yugi was a goner!" Jerah looked at the blond, shaking her head.

"Of course not. He's certainly got more tricks up his sleeve. I know it." As she spoke, she refocused her gaze on the duel. "But now he has to figure out a way to win with his next turn." She said, folding her arms over her stomach. _Either he draws the perfect card, or he'll have to keep stalling until he does._ Her cobalt eyes watched as Yami drew his card.

"I play Lightforce Sword! It will randomly attack one card in your hand, preventing you from using it for three whole turns. And I'll aim for… a piece of Exodia!" The sword materialized above Yami's head, and shot towards the Hunter's hand. It pierced a card, taking Exodia's Right Arm out of play for the next three turns. "I'm not done yet, Rare Hunter!" Yami said as he placed another card in his duel disk. "To wipe out your monsters, I'll start by sacrificing Chimera for Summoned Skull!" Hunter clearly didn't look too happy, but Jerah and Joey on the other hand... They were cheering, each in their own way.

"Summoned Skull, attack with lightning strike!" Yami called, as his monster attacked and destroyed the Hunter's Gear Golem. "You see? Your Exodia may be unstoppable as a whole, but the five cards that make it up are easy prey." Yami said, taunting the Hunter for a change.

"Now it's my turn!" The Rare Hunter growled, clearly upset that things weren't going his way.

What a baby. Jerah thought, scowling at Yami's opponent.

"Rare Hunter…" Yami started after the Hunter had drawn a card. "You have no monsters to defend you. Looks like a whole new game." Then the creep started laughing.

 _Don't know what he's so happy for._ Jerah thought, gazing at the man skeptically.

"What's with that guy?" Joey remarked, "He's just as nutty as a fruitcake!"

"Agreed." Jerah said, frowning.

"A whole new game? Hardly Yugi!" The Rare Hunter began. "You really think you can stop me with one card?"

"I do." Yami challenged, and Jerah was mildly shocked at the confidence in his voice.

"A professional card hunter like me is prepared for any situation!" He said, chuckling darkly. "Take this! Swords Of Revealing Light!"

Yami was clearly not pleased as he gasped an 'oh no!' as the light swords formed around him.

"My magical swords prevent your monsters from attacking so you can't touch my life points! And once your Lightforce Sword wears off, Yugi, I can use Exodia's Right Arm and summon the beast!"

"Come on, Yug! You gotta get to him before he gets to that last piece of Exodia!" Joey called from the sidelines. Jerah watched quietly, frowning.

 _What will you do now, Pharaoh? Was I wrong to have such high expectations?_

"It's my move. I'll draw one card," Yami said, and looked down at the card he drew, "And end my turn."

The Hunter laughed again, "Thanks to my Swords of Revealing Light, that's all you can do! You're reduced to watching your own duel, unable to attack, unable to even move-"

"Does this guy _ever_ shut up?" Jerah complained, sneering towards the creepy duelist as he kept talking.

"I wish!" Joey replied, a bit snarky. He was just as fed up with the guy as Jerah was.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Jerah and Joey tuned in to the duel just as Yami was smirking, about to make a great reveal she supposed.

"Your deck's loaded down with so many Exodia body parts, the odds of drawing a Right Arm are slim to none."

"We'll find out, won't we?" The Hunter countered.

"Your mistake is that you're relying on one monster, but a good dueling deck requires the right balance of cards. And you're still a prisoner of my Lightforce Sword, which means I have three turns to defeat you!"

"Hm, wishful thinking, Yugi! It's my draw!" The Hunter drew a card, and by how silent he was, everyone could presume that it wasn't the card he required to win.

"Come on, Yug! You can do it, buddy! You still got two more turns to figure out how to stop this card swiping freak!" Yami sent a glance his way, before taking his turn.

Jerah was getting rather bored. She wanted to see his skills, but this duel was starting to get on her nerves. The creep was annoying, and honestly, she didn't think she was getting a real taste of his skill watching him duel against this guy. While Joey was focused on Yami, Jerah slipped away. She may as well get a locator card or two while she was waiting for Yugi. It wouldn't take long, would it?

* * *

The girl's life points went down to zero, and she slumped her shoulders in defeat.

Jerah walked over to her, holding out her hand. "You did well." She said simply, as the girl looked up at her. Then she looked down at Jerah's hand. She sadly held up her rarest card and locator card. But that wasn't what Jerah was looking for. She took the cards from the girl, but continued to hold her hand out. The girl looked confused for a moment, before taking Jerah's hand and shaking it. Jerah nodded, shaking the girl's hand firmly. The girl smiled a bit, and Jerah returned the gesture.

Jerah looked at the card the girl gave her, as reward for winning, and smiled a little. It was a nice card, but it wasn't something Jerah could use in her deck, without having to change a lot more than she wanted. "Here." Jerah said, handing the card back to the girl, who looked back at Jerah with wide eyes.

"But-"

"Take it." Jerah insisted. "Before I decided to keep it." The girl took the card as Jerah finished her sentence.

"Why'd you give it back?" The girl asked, confused. Jerah just smiled and started walking away.

"Rules were made to be broken." With that final statement, Jerah left the girl standing there. She headed back to Yugi's duel. She wondered if he won already. Upon walking up to the duel, she watched him make the winning move.

With a final attack from Yami's powered up Magna Warrior, the Rare Hunter lost the last of his life points.

"Yeah, Yug! You won!" Joey cheered, not even noticing that Jerah had taken a stand right beside him to watch the last moments of Yami's victory. The crowd around them cheered, and Jerah smiled as Yami looked over at her and Joey.

Yami went over to the collapsed Rare Hunter, and took his deck.

"Way to go, my man!" Joey congratulated him, going and standing beside him. Jerah tagged along and stood on the other side of Yugi.

"Thanks, Joey." Yami flipped through the Hunter's deck until he came upon Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Ah, there it is." He then looked down at the Hunter, who seemed to be unresponsive. "I'm taking Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon and your locator card. You won't need to find the finals now."

Then, Yami's expression changed, and he continued to flip through the Rare Hunter's deck.

"What's wrong?" Jerah asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Something's rubbing off on my fingers..." Then his violet eyes narrowed, as he figured out what had been going on. "All these cards are marked!"

"He was a cheat!" Joey exclaimed.

"Not anymore!" Yami said as he tore all the Hunter's cards and threw the pieces in the air. It was then that the Hunter finally started saying something.

"I lost… I failed… Forgive me master! I tried my best!" He begged, to seemingly no one as Yami, Jerah and Joey looked at him strangely.

"There's something deeper at play, here…" Jerah whispered, glaring at the Hunter as Yami glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She knew of ancient magic, and she had guessed that this man had something to do with it. But even from the start, he was only a pawn. Just bait to catch the Pharaoh on the hook. "No! Please don't be angry!" Then he stood up, holding his head as he cried out. "No master! Don't! Please! Spare me!"

"Yugi! That wacko's lost his mind!" Joey said.

"I've seen this before…" Yami said, as they all watched a golden eye of Horus appear on the Hunter's forehead. When the Hunter spoke again, his voice was morphed, most definitely not his own. It was as if someone was speaking through him.

" **We meet again, Pharaoh. Remember me? Actually, perhaps you don't. You were trapped in the Puzzle when I dueled little Yugi. Congratulations on defeating my Rare Hunter, though he was the weakest duelist in my crew. My other minions will prove much more formidable.** "

"Yug… What is with this freakshow?" Joey asked.

"His mind is being controlled." Jerah explained curtly, keeping her gaze fixed on the Hunter.

" **Smart girl.** " The mystery voice snarked before continuing his speech to Yami. " **Pharaoh, I've waited for you for years. Finally, after all this time I will destroy you.** " Yami took a sharp intake of breath, though it was rather quiet. Jerah looked at him, not knowing how to go about keeping him calm. " **I will not allow my other Rare Hunters to fail me like this one did. I have little time for his kind of foolishness, so I have taken over his body and trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm. I am in control!** " The voice spoke, as the body started doing haphazard, strange movements in the air.

"Ehhh! This guy's creepin' me out!" Jerah couldn't help a snide remark in response.

"That's his job, Joey."

"How do you control him?" Meanwhile, Yami was focused on the more important aspects of the conversation. Jerah refocused, and listened to what the voice was saying through the Rare Hunter's body.

" **Each of the Millennium Items contains its own unique power. So mind control is a simple task with my Millennium Rod!** "

"No good can come from that power." Yami stated.

" **Allow me to introduce myself. Remember my name: Marik.** "

"Marik!" Yami repeated as he took a step forward. "What is it you want from me, Marik?"

" **I want what belongs to me! And I'll take it using the strength of the Egyptian god cards!** "

"Egyptian-what?" Yami asked.

" **Millennia ago, a trio of powerful behemoths rampaged throughout ancient Egypt. These Egyptian god monsters spread destruction throughout the world! Until the Pharaoh sealed them away for eternity! But when Pegasus created Duel Monsters, he resurrected these mighty beasts as cards. With these Egyptian gods, I can destroy you and claim the power I deserve!** "

"You'll never claim the Millennium Puzzle!" Yami countered, on the defense.

" **Hmm. You misunderstand, I want more than the power of the Puzzle. I want the Pharaoh's power; the boundless energy of the ancient ruler himself! With it, no one will stand in my way. I'll use the almighty magic I gain to conquer and lead the world! I will be unstoppable! The end is near, Pharaoh! It's my world now!** "

"Not yet, Marik. I'm beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to participate in Battle City. It's my destiny to stand between you and the evil powers you seek! And I will!" Yami declared.

" **Then your destiny is easier said than done, you fool! Pharaoh, your days are numbered! So enjoy the game while you still can! Because your reign is coming to an end!** " With that, Marik released control of the Hunter's body and let it drop to the ground.

"Man, that was weird." Joey commented, "I knew that guy was a big creep, but who knew he was just a front for an even bigger creep!" Then, Joey looked over at Yami as he held the Red Eyes card towards the blond.

"Here you go, Joey. Take your Red Eyes back."

"Nah, Yug. You hold on to it." Joey said, looking down for a moment. "It isn't mine to take, pal. You won it fair and square. Besides, the Rare Hunters are collecting tons of rare cards. Their decks are totally suped up. And I know they're gonna be tough to beat, even for you!"

"What are you saying, Joey?" Yami asked, letting his hand drop to his side again.

"I'm saying, one day you'll need all the powerful monsters you can get! Plus, you can think of me whenever you play my Red Eyes. It's the least I could do to repay you. See, during the Duelist Kingdom tournament, you taught me rules, killer strategies, and everything else I needed to know to help me get to the finals. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"That's what friends do."

"That's my point exactly, buddy. You've always had my back, so it's time I helped you for a change. That's why I want you to keep my Red Eyes Black Dragon! I know it's gonna come in handy for you sometime. Besides, this means that a part of me will be a part of your deck. It's kinda cool knowing that I'm helping you save the world. Don't get me wrong, I'm still in the contest! And I still have the rare card requirement covered." Joey smirked.

"What card?" Jerah asked, curious. Both Joey and Yami looked at her, since she had been silent that whole time.

"Do you remember, Yugi? It was a card you gave me way back when I first started playing Duel Monsters." Yami smiled as he remembered.

"Time Wizard."

"Yep! It helped me out in Duelist Kingdom, and I know it's gonna save my butt in Battle City!"

Jerah smiled, watching them talk. It was almost like she wasn't even there, though she was about to change that. "Both of you are so… passionate." Jerah smiled sheepishly, looking down as she continued. "I admire that you put all of your heart in dueling." They both looked at her, and Joey gushed dramatically while Yami simply smiled.

"Thank you, Jerah. Now, I have to ask… I noticed that you were gone through the last half of my duel… Where did you go?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow. Jerah smirked, taking out her locator cards.

"Well, you're not the only one trying to get to the finals." She held up a total of three locator cards. She had earned two while Yami was dueling. Joey looked at her, appalled.

"How do you have three already?!" Jerah shrugged in response.

"I took out a couple of easier duelists. It wasn't that hard." She responded simply. She made it sound easy, and in reality it was, but it was mostly manipulation on her part. She walked around, looking nervous and shy, so one of the weaker duelists would challenge her thinking that she would be easy prey. Then, she quickly wiped them out. Of course, she didn't take their rare cards, because she didn't want to change anything in her deck and they would just collect dust anyway if she kept them.

"Anyway, don't concern yourself with me. Don't you have a world to save?" Jerah joked, raising her eyebrow. She knew it was serious, but she felt that if she made a little light of it, the weight wouldn't feel quite so heavy for him. After all, some people crack under pressure, and she didn't know if Yami was that kind of person.

Yami smiled, chuckling quietly while Joey was mumbling something along the lines of 'glad she's on our side, yeesh'.

 _Well, looks like the war has finally begun._

* * *

 **Behold, another chapter! This one is a little short. But 'ey, I got it done. I didn't have a lot of time to work on it, so I got done what I could. It's gonna be iffy for a while, because homework will only increase from here and I also have extra curricular responsibilities (I'm the leader of the sets painting crew for my school's play and musical this year).**

 **Anyway, I will keep keeping up with this, as much as I am able.**

 **That being said, go check out the poll on my profile! It gives options on what stories you'd like to read from me after I complete this one. I have titles and summaries on my profile, and the link is there as well. I'd like to know what you guys want!**

 **Thank you for reading, and please review!**

 **~Hinata-Chan33, Signing out!~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! Sorry I'm a day late, but I had this really stupidly long English assignment yesterday. Blah. Anyway, guess what! Today, September 21, is Jerah's birthday! Yay! So, yeah. Happy Birthday, Jerah.**

 **Anyway, DISCLAIMER: I don't own YGO, or the characters. I only own my OC and the little bits of plot I change or add in. R &R! **

* * *

Suddenly, there were strangers everywhere. _Where is Yugi? Joey?_ They were gone, apparently they had gone to scout for more people to duel? _How smart of me to space out! Now I don't know where they went! I guess I'm on my own for a while…_

Jerah sighed, frowning as she walked around the main section of the town. There were a couple duels going on, between mostly lesser known duelists. Jerah wandered to the tea shop, getting herself a hot Rose tea. She paid, and walked out of the shop as she dumped a packet of powder in the drink.

"What was that?" A voice in front of her asked. She looked, quirking her eyebrows in question. Jerah's eyes met Tea's as she was being stared at suspiciously.

"Medicine." Jerah replied, stirring her tea and taking a sip. It was really hot, but Jerah decided to ignore it. She glanced at Tea, who was looking skeptical. Jerah rolled her eyes, taking another sip of her tea. "If you're thinking it's drugs, you'd be right. Prescription drugs." Tea frowned, crossing her arms.

"Anyway, have you seen Yugi?" She asked, seemingly irritated about Jerah's comment.

"I was with him a little bit ago, but I lost him." Jerah said, looking around.

"I'm gonna go look for him." Tea replied, leaving again. Jerah watched the brunette walk away, one eyebrow raised.

 _Ooookay._ Jerah thought, taking another sip of her tea. She walked away from the shop, pausing as she heard someone say Joey's name. From the loud conversation, apparently Joey was dueling some kid named Espa Roba. She figured that if she found Joey, she'd find Yugi as well. So, off she went.

Upon wandering towards the crowds, to see where Joey was, when someone challenged her to a duel. She reluctantly agreed, setting her tea down by her feet and activating her duel disk. "Let's get this over with."

"Eager to lose?" The boy smirked, already having drawn his first hand.

"No. I'm eager to win." She countered, glaring as she drew her first hand. "I'll go first." She said as she placed two face downs and summoned Hayabusa Knight.

"Such a weak monster as your first play?" Jerah's opponent taunted.

"Don't be so quick to dismiss. Make your move." Jerah told him, frowning. The teen started by summoning a slightly more powerful monster, with no cards face down to protect it.

"That's your big plan to win? You have no concept of strategy, do you?" Jerah snarked, "I draw. I'll start with activating my spell card, Back to Square One. By discarding one card, I can choose one monster on the field and have it return to the owner's deck. I pick your Nopenguin! Now, I can attack your life points directly!" Jerah's Hayabusa Knight attacked, and took away 1000 life points. "And, due to my Knight's special ability, I can attack a second time." Then, her opponent was left with 2000 life points, and Jerah was only on her second turn.

Her opponent looked irritated, but she would be too if she got played so easily after being so cocky. "The game is half over after just beginning. Are you sure you should be so arrogant? I end my turn with another face down." Jerah said, waiting for her opponent. He grumbled, taking his turn. He summoned another monster, an Oshaleon, and placed a card facedown.

"My move." Jerah said, drawing a card. "First, I reveal my spell, Hammer Shot! With this, I can destroy one monster, one with the highest attack points. Yours has 1400, compared to my 1000. So your monster is destroyed. And like my last turn, my Hayabusa Knight can attack twice." Jerah called for her Knight to attack two times, and thus won the duel. "Hardly even a challenge." She complained, going to the dude and taking his locator card. "Keep your rare." She grumbled, walking away from him, picking up her tea and leaving him there to grovel. She wasn't really in the mood to deal with people like him, she wanted to find Yugi and Joey.

She went looking for them, drinking a bunch of her tea. Her throat was hurting, and she hoped the tea would remedy that.

She came upon a crowd, and managed her way into the circle. She felt relieved when she heard Joey's voice. From what she could tell, it was close to the end of the duel. She was able to get a front row view of the duel, and saw Tea across the way. Apparently she got to them all before Jerah did.

"Roba! Check this out!" Joey called to his green-haired opponent. "The magic card, Roulette Spider! Attach to Ginzo!"

"Ah! What's that?!" Espa Roba asked, confused and shocked. His Ginzo monster squirmed, trying to get the Spider off of his head as he walked towards the center of the duel field. "What's the point of all this?"

"Playing Roulette Spider's one of the riskiest moves in Duel Monsters. It could destroy me, or win the duel for me. You see, after I give up half my life points, Roulette Spider blinds the strongest monster on the field and walks it to the center. That's where it gets interesting!" He explained, and Jerah was relieved to see that he looked pretty confident for how risky he said this was.

"What's the web for, Wheeler?"

"For a guy with ESP you ask a lot of questions." Joey commented. Jerah nodded in agreement, although Joey didn't see her. "That's the spin table. My Spider will spin Ginzo 'round and 'round like a giant wheel, and when you tell it to stop, it'll automatically attack whatever target the arrow's pointing to."

"Any target?" Espa asked, clearly innerved.

"Open your ears, psycho-boy! Any target. Could be me, or you directly, or any of the monsters on the field. And since you've been so good about piling up attack points for your monster friend there, whatever Ginzo points to will be destroyed instantly! Any predictions Mr. ESP?" Espa Roba spluttered, unable to give an answer.

 _I sure hope this works, for your sake Joey. If this goes wrong… You're out of the tournament. And Yugi won't be able to bring you back if you lose._ Jerah thought, her fingers gracing her lips as she watched the duel tentatively.

"Ready? Go Roulette Spider! Spin now!" The Spider began to spin Ginzo as the arrow coming out of its butt stuck out to point at whatever it stopped at. Ginzo kept spinning faster and faster, as Joey reminded, "Whatever it points to, it destroys." Then Joey smirked, "Whatsa matter, fraud? Too scared to tell it to stop?"

After a couple minutes, Espa finally worked up the courage to tell it to stop spinning. As Ginzo slowed down, it pointed to…

"Ginzo's pointing to my Reflect Bounder! And if it attacks, they're both doomed!" The Spider disappeared from Ginzo as the monster set his sights on Reflect Bounder. "Ah! Don't reflect! You'll send his attack right back!"

But Reflect Bounder couldn't _not_ reflect, so Ginzo's attack was sent right back at him. Both monsters were goners.

"Too late, Roba. Both your monsters are destroyed! And you're history!"

"Ah! No! I had it won! I… You couldn't beat me!" Espa denied, not wanting to believe that he had lost.

"What do you think just happened? Lemme do the math for you, you psychic sneak! Ginzo started with 3200 attack points, so subtract Reflect Bounder's 1700, and you lose 1500 lifepoints! You're finished, and this duel is over!" Tea hugged the short old man standing beside her, cheering for her friend's victory. Jerah smiled, and looked up to find Yami was standing on the roof of a building. Again.

 _I guess he likes high places, huh? Maybe that's a result of his subconscious memories…?_

Joey walked up to Espa as some of the crowed taunted him for losing. "It was a tough duel. Now fork up your Ginzo and your locator card!"

"No! I can't! Please don't make me, you just don't understand!" Espa exclaimed as he looked around frantically.

"What are you freaking out about? Just stand up and face defeat. Besides, you know the Battle City rules, I get to keep your rarest card. Everyone loses once in a while, heh, even Joey Wheeler blew a few duels in his day!"

"But it's not that simple!" Espa Roba cried. "People count on me to win, Wheeler!"

"We all have our own reasons for dueling-"

"STOP! You just don't get it, do you?! Losing is not an option, I have to win at all costs! I'm not dueling for myself, I'm dueling for my brothers!"

"Brothers?"

"My little brothers look up to me, I'm like a hero to them! If my reputation as a loser spreads, they'll get picked on by bullies again!"

"That's crazy talk, Roba." Joey said. Jerah looked at Joey, almost feeling it strange to see such a sympathetic, understanding look on his face. "Trust me, this duelist knows a few things about being a big brother. Come on, huh?" Joey held out his hand to Espa, who looked up at him in shock. "You need a hand?" Then Espa got angry, smacking Joey's hand away.

"I don't need your pity!" As he shook his head, something fell to the ground.

"Fine, be that way!" Joey grumbled, turning away. Then another voice rang out, from Espa's ear piece on the ground.

"Come on, big bro! Get up!" Joey freaked out, not knowing where the voice came from until he saw the ear piece. "You didn't disappoint us, you fought an awesome duel, and you did it without cheating!" Then all the little brothers were standing in a break in the crowd. "We're proud of you, bro!"

"Huh? But I lost!"

"So?"

"So you're not worried about people thinking your big brother is a big loser?"

"No, 'cause in our book you're a winner!"

"Well come here! Give your bro a hug!" They all hugged, and Jerah thought it a little strange. It was kind of cute, yes, but also they all had the same hairstyle and clothes. Except for the baby. Jerah decided to go find Yugi, since she saw the end of the duel. She looked up to where Yugi had been standing before, seeing him still standing there but about to turn and leave. She quickly ran towards the building, making her way up the stairs to the roof.

She wanted to see him, but she couldn't explain why. Maybe because she had lost him before? Possibly, but also maybe because she wanted to see what he was thinking. While he was up there, when she looked at him before, he looked awfully pensive, and she thought that maybe he was thinking about more than just the duel he was watching.

There had to be something on his mind. She was hallway to the roof when saw him. He was coming down the stairs, and they both paused.

"Yami." She said, smiling a little. "I had lost you there for a while." Yami chuckled a little.

"Well, I'm glad you found me again. Do you get lost often?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She blushed lightly and looked away.

"Maybe sometimes…" She mumbled as he smiled. "Anyway, I wanted to know… if you had anything on your mind?" She asked, and Yami looked a little taken aback.

"Hm?"

"Well, I saw you up here during Joey's duel, and I was thinking that you looked like you had something weighing your mind… But I guess I was wrong? If it's nothing, then you can ignore what I said."

"No, it's…" Yami started, sighing a little. "How did you know?" Jerah chuckled quietly, looking up at Yami as she stepped up to him, standing on the stair just below his.

"You're almost as easy to read as Yugi." She teased, and Yami seemed slightly startled. "Anyway, what's on your mind? Are you thinking about your destiny?" She asked, returning to the lower stair she was at previously. Now her sudden burst of forwardness was gone, and she was normal. Yami was clearly confused, but elected to ignore it for now.

"Yes… I'm thinking about how this is all going to play out. Am I able to save the world, like I did 5000 years ago? Ishizu said I have to fulfill my destiny, but I don't know exactly how I'm supposed to do so besides playing Duel Monsters. Will I get my memories after the Finals?" Jerah looked at him, her eyes empathetic and somber.

"I don't know, but I do know this. You will win. You will save the world. It's your destiny, you have to. The world is depending on you." She said, before sighing. "And so am I." She whispered, but Yami heard it. His eyes snapped to her, narrowing as he stared.

"What do you mean?" She flinched upon hearing his question.

 _Shit. I really shouldn't have said that. Why didn't I keep my mouth shut?! But… It's not like I can't trust him… But I don't think I could tell him about my deal with the gods… Could I?_

* * *

 **Until next time! Haha, cliff hanger!**

 **Also, I kinda wanted to do something special for her birthday, but I don't really know what I should do. But, uh, if any of yous are on tumblr, you can go spam my ask box, in character or not. :3 or even reply to my open Happy Birthday roleplay post. I'm themuteegyptian on tumblr. Come find me! And give me a follow too. I'd love some more mutuals.**

 **Thanks for reading, and please review! See you next Tuesday!**

 **~Hinata-Chan33, signing out!~**


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